Chef’s brunch at home: Christine Walsh’s crab cakes recipe

It looks like it’s going to be a while until we get to order our favourite dishes from Ireland’s finest restaurants. So we thought we’d bring some fine dining to your kitchen table, in partnership with Kerrygold. This week, sous chef at Allta in Dublin, Christine Walsh, shares her recipe for delicious crab cakes that are perfect for a weekend brunch date, in the comfort of your own home.

Ingredients

For the crab cakes

• 200g crab meat
• 2 spring onions sliced finely
• 1 inch of fresh ginger peeled and grated
• 1 lime (zest of full lime and juice of half the lime)
• 2 sprigs coriander chopped (include stalks)
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 egg beaten
• 40g breadcrumbs

Coating for cakes (3 separate bowls)

• 60g plain flour
• 60ml milk mixed with 1 whisked egg
• 60g breadcrumbs

For the Hollandaise sauce

• 220g Kerrygold Pure Irish Salted Butter
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 egg yolks
• Juice of half a lemon
• 40ml of water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

For the crab cakes

1. Combine all crab cake ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Shape into patties, around 60g each and firm enough that they don’t fall apart.
3. Place your 3 bowls side by side. First dip the cakes into the flour and coat well – dust off any excess, then dip them into the milk and egg mixture and finally into the breadcrumbs making sure to get a good coating.
4. Place the cakes on a plate/tray and put into the fridge for 30 minutes to set up.
5. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees celsius.
6. Put frying pan on medium/low heat, add a drop of oil into the pan and place your cakes in – don’t over crowd the pan.
7. Brown the cakes on both sides and transfer them to an oven tray for 8 minutes

For the Hollandaise sauce

1. While they’re in the oven, add the egg yolks, lemon juice and water into a heat resistant bowl & sit over a bowl of simmering water, taking care to not let the hot water touch the bowl.
2. Whisk until the mix is pale in colour and doubled.
3. Put the Kerrygold butter, chili flakes & smoked paprika into a pot, melt & bring to a boil, boil for one minute then remove from the heat to let infuse and to separate from milk solids.
4. Slowly start to trickle in the clarified/infused butter into the egg mixture, but ensure to whisk quickly. Once it looks shiny, like a mayonnaise, remove the bowl.
5. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve

1. Remove the crab cakes from the oven and spoon the Hollandaise over the cakes.
2. Serve with poached eggs and a nice salad for a delicious brunch option.

Kerrygold’s new #AtHomeWithKerrygold series enlists the help of their favourite kitchen experts who have shared tried and tested recipes for you to make at home. From impressive brunch recipes, to date night hits and ideas on what to bake with kids there is something for everyone! Follow @KerrygoldIRL on Instagram for easy-to-follow video tutorials on each recipe.

Click here to view all of the recipes.