June 29, 2021

Crab Beignets with Cocktail Sauce

This take on beignets uses lump crabmeat and egg whites to make a batter which is then fried to golden perfection. They make a great canape, snack or starter!

Makes approx. 24 beignets Cooking Time 30 mins (plus 1hr resting time)

Ingredients

For the Beignets:

1 tub blueswimmer lump crab meat

2 large egg whites

200g good quality mayonnaise

50g grain mustard

2 spring onions, finely chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 lemon, half juice & other half reserved for garnish

80g panko breadcrumbs

2 litres sunflower oil

Sea Salt

For the Cocktail Sauce:

50g tomato ketchup

50g good quality mayonnaise

Few drops of Tabasco

Juice ½ a lemon

Method

Whisk the egg whites until they are light and fluffy and hold a soft peak. Stir in the mayonnaise and mustard.
Place the crab into a separate bowl and use your hands to quickly pick through to check there is no shell present. Mix in the remaining ingredients followed by the egg white mix; the mixture will be quite loose. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up.
Meanwhile mix together the ingredients for the cocktail sauce.
In a Heavy bottom pan or deep fat fryer, heat the oil to 180°C; prepare a tray lined with kitchen paper. Use your hands to form balls of 1-2 tbsp of the crab mixture then fry for around 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on the kitchen paper, sprinkle with a little sea salt before serving with the cocktail sauce.