Crab fritters with cheat’s chilli & crab mayonnaise

The rich Sriracha-spiced mayo perfectly complements these moreish crispy morsels of crab and nutty gruyère. Great party nibbles and well worth the effort

  • Prep:20 mins
    Cook:40 mins
    plus cooling
  • More effort

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 167
  • fat 14g
  • saturates 4g
  • carbs 6g
  • sugars 0g
  • fibre 0g
  • protein 4g
  • salt 0.3g

Ingredients

  • 150g butter
  • 225g plain flour, sifted
  • 4 large eggs
  • 100g Gruyère, grated
  • 2 tbsp snipped chives
  • 200g picked white crabmeat
  • vegetable oil, for frying
  • sea salt flakes and cayenne pepper, to serve
  • 200g good-quality mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp brown crabmeat
  • 1 tbsp sriracha or chilli sauce
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

  1. Put the butter in a large saucepan with 225ml water, heating slowly so that the butter melts but the water doesn’t evaporate. Remove from the heat and quickly add the flour. Mix until fully incorporated and comes away from the pan, then leave to cool to room temperature. Use a wooden spoon to beat in the eggs, one at a time, until smooth, glossy and the mix drips off the spoon after 3 secs. Beat in the cheese until combined, before folding in the chives, crab and some seasoning.

  2. Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise ingredients together, season and set aside. Can be made a day ahead.

  3. Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer or large heavy-based saucepan (no more than half full) to 160C or until a piece of bread browns in 40 secs. Using a dessertspoon, scoop spoonfuls of the batter and carefully drop them straight into the hot oil (you will need to cook them in batches so that you don’t overcrowd the pan). Fry each batch for 3-4 mins until golden brown, then drain on kitchen paper. Season with sea salt flakes and cayenne pepper. Serve hot with the mayonnaise.

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