Thai crab cakes

Thai crab cakes
These make a delicious starter, or transform into a main course with rice noodles.
Ingredients
1lb 2oz (500g) white crabmeat
4oz (115g) green beans, trimmed
and finely chopped
1 green or red chile, seeded and
very finely chopped
1 tsp lemongrass, very finely chopped
finely grated zest of 1 lime
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 tbsp finely chopped Chinese chives
or garlic chives
1 egg white, lightly beaten
flour, to dust
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
lime wedges, to serve
Flake the crabmeat into a bowl, picking it over carefully to remove any small, sharp pieces of
shell. Mix in the green beans, chile, lemongrass, lime zest, fish sauce, and chives.
Add the egg white, stirring to bind the mixture together. Dust your hands with flour
and shape the mixture into 20 small balls. Flatten them slightly into round cakes, place
on a plate or board, spaced slightly apart so they don’t stick together, and chill for 1 hour,
or until firm. Heat the oil to 325°F (160°C) in a large pan of deep-fat fryer (see page 308).
Dust the crab cakes with flour and deep-fry them in batches
for 3 minutes, or until golden. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels and serve warm with lime wedges.
Prepare ahead
The crab cakes can be assembled, covered,
and chilled up to 1 day ahead. The flavors
will deepen. Return them to room temperature
before continuing.