Rosti Crab Cakes

As a great lover of any type of fish cake I have always adored American crab cakes, but somehow the small English crabs seem too rich for them. After some serious tasting comparisons with my husband, scoring out of ten, the following recipe gets top marks. The potato counteracts the richness of the crab more effectively than the usual breadcrumbs, and served with Pickled Limes you complete a marriage made in heaven!

Method

First put the unpeeled potatoes in a saucepan with boiling water and salt, and simmer them for exactly 10 minutes. Meanwhile measure out the rest of the ingredients, except the groundnut oil, into a mixing bowl and mix together thoroughly.

When the potatoes are cooked, drain them and as soon as they are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and grate the flesh on the coarse blade of the grater, pushing the potatoes all the way down the length of the grater so that the strips are as long as possible.

Now carefully combine the grated potato with the crab mixture, trying not to break up the pieces of potato. Have a flat tray or baking sheet handy, then take rough tablespoons of the mixture and form them into eight little cakes, squeezing and pressing them evenly together – don't worry about any ragged edges: this is precisely what gives the crab cakes their charm when cooked. When the cakes are made, cover them with clingfilm and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours to chill and become firm.

To cook, heat 1½ tablespoons of oil in a frying pan, making sure it is very hot, then gently slide in the crab cakes using a spatula. Cook them for 3 minutes on each side, turning the heat down to medium.

Don't turn them over until the 3 minutes are up or they will not be firm enough.

Remove them to a plate lined with kitchen paper, then transfer them to a warmed serving plate and garnish with lime quarters and coriander or flat-leaf parsley.

Serve with Pickled Limes or with Toasted Sweetcorn Salsa, the recipes are below.