Fanny Slater’s Dilled Meyer Lemon Crab Cake Sliders with Roasted Tomato Aioli
Ingredients
For the Roasted Tomato Aioli:
- 2 large tomatoes (any variety), roughly chopped
- 1 medium shallot, roughly chopped
- 2 small garlic cloves, whole
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Salt and pepper
For the Mini Crab Cakes:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large leeks, rinsed well and diced
- 3 large stalks celery with leafy tops, diced
- 1/2 pound jumbo lump crabmeat
- 1/2 pound claw crabmeat
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped dill
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning®
- Juice and zest of 1 Meyer lemon
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs plus 1 additional cup for coating the crab cakes
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup vegetable oil
For the Sliders:
- For the Sliders: 2 cups arugula
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 18 mini sweet Hawaiian rolls
Preparation
Make the aioli: Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss tomatoes, shallots and garlic cloves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until garlic cloves are lightly golden and the tomatoes are broken down. Cool to room temperature and then pulse in a blender with Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lime juice and honey until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
For the crab cakes, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and celery, and season well with salt and pepper. Cook until veggies become softened, about 5-6 minutes. Let cool. In a large bowl, fold the veggies with the crabmeat, dill, Old Bay®, lemon zest and juice, and panko. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Shape mixture into 16-18 equal-size, well-packed mini crab cakes. Roll each one in more panko.
Sauté the crab cakes: heat a tablespoon at a time of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the crab cakes and cook for about 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown. Keep warm in a 250°F oven.
Toss arugula with lemon juice, olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Top each bottom slider bun with 1 teaspoon aioli, 1 crab cake, 1 more teaspoon aioli, a pinch of the arugula salad and the bun top.