Shrimp-and-Crab Cakes with Sweet-and-Spicy Ketchup

If you like crab cakes, you know they can be expensive—whether you buy them in a seafood restaurant or make your own at home with 100% lump crab meat. For this recipe, I toned down the cost by using crab claw meat and adding a bit of shrimp to create deliciously sweet and briny seafood cakes for about half the price.

To dress the cakes with a little zing, I made a quick ketchup with fresh tomatoes, sweetened with sugar and cinnamon and heated up with Tabasco and cayenne. Simply place all the ingredients in a pan and let them cook down together into a rich, tomato-y, sweet and spicy sauce that’s so much better than anything off the store shelf.

For another seafood cake recipe, check out Langostino Lobster-and-Cod Cakes with Creamy Lemon-Dill Sauce.

Makes 4 large cakes

Ingredients

For the Ketchup

• 2 large stem tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp Tabasco (or other hot red sauce)
• 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• sea salt

Ketchup Ingredients 

For the Shrimp-and-Crab Cakes

• 1/2 lb crab claw meat, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 lb peeled, deveined medium shrimp, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup panko (or other fine, dry breadcrumbs)
• 1 scallion, finely chopped
• 1 large egg yolk, whisked
• 1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Shrimp and Crab

For the Ketchup

1. Place all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook slowly until the tomatoes break down and the mixture is fairly thick, 20-25 minutes. 
2. Remove to a bowl and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. (May also be made 1 day ahead.)

Tomato Mixture Beginning to Cook

Cooked Ketchup

Sweet-and-Spicy Ketchup

For the Shrimp-and-Crab Cakes

1. Place the chopped crab and shrimp in a food processor. Pulse a few times until well combined. Scrape into a bowl.
2. Add the next 8 ingredients (through black pepper) and mix lightly with your fingers. Divide the mixture into 4 portions and shape each into a puffy disk (handle the mixture gently—don’t press hard to flatten it), about 2-1/2 inches in diameter.
3. Place the cakes on a plate and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 30 minutes. (Refrigeration helps the ingredients stay together during cooking.)

Cakes Ready to Cook

1. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil, swirling to coat the entire bottom of the pan.
2. Place the cakes in the skillet and fry 2-3 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown. Turn and fry the other side 2-3 minutes until also golden.

Cakes Beginning to Cook

Cooked Shrimp-and-Crab Cakes

Plate the cakes and serve with ketchup in individual serving bowls alongside.