Crab Cake Eggs Benedict
Crab Cake Eggs Benedict- Toasted English muffins, Maryland crab cakes, poached eggs, and homemade Old Bay hollandaise make this a restaurant worthy brunch.
September 29, 2023 by Nicole Collins
Today, we’re making Crab Cake Eggs Benedict!
One thing about me is that if there’s any type of eggs benny on a brunch menu, I’m ordering it. Unless it’s a crab benedict of some sorts. And there’s a very specific reason for that. Any brunch restaurant with a crab/crab cake eggs benedict option always slaps a ridiculously expensive price tag on it. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a crab benny for less than $30. And while I’m willing to pretend I’m a big spender when it comes to excellent food, I’m not willing to pay beaucoup bucks for something I can easily (and much less expensively) make myself at home.
So, that’s what we’re doing today!
This decadent brunch menu comes together pretty easily. We’ll toast a couple English muffins, make a couple of my Maryland crab cakes, poach a few eggs, and make a super simple blender Old Bay hollandaise. And trust me, do not be intimidated by the hollandaise. It’s so easy!
Let’s start with the crab cakes. Here in Maryland, we don’t mess around with our crab cakes. We’re not throwing every veggie under the sun in them. We’re not loading them up with filler. We’re taking lump blue crab meat (jumbo lump if you can swing it); seasoning it very simply with Old Bay, lemon, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce; and adding just enough of a binder to hold it all together. We’re talking an egg and a couple crushed saltine crackers. That’s it. The real debate when it comes to crab cakes in this state is: broiled or fried. I prefer mine broiled, so we’ll form our crab mix VERY GENTLY into 4 little mounds, pop them under the broiler, and that’s it for the crab cakes.
While the crab cakes are going, we can get our eggs poaching. Poached eggs are not as scary and complicated as people will make you believe. You just have to trust the process. We’re going to heat a pot of water plus a splash of white vinegar until it just starts to bubble. We want to keep the simmer very low so it doesn’t destroy our delicate eggs, so we want to see bubbles forming at the bottom of the pot but just barely making it to the surface. Season the water with a pinch of salt before carefully dropping in your eggs, then let them cook for exactly 3 minutes. Remove the eggs from the water in the order you dropped them with a slotted spoon, carefully pat them dry with a paper towel, and that’s it for the eggs.
We can also work on our hollandaise while the eggs are poaching. The only special tool we need to make our sauce is an immersion blender. If you don’t have one, I recommend grabbing one. You can get them pretty cheaply now for only $30ish. If I didn’t use it for anything else (which I do), I’d make the investment specifically just to make this hollandaise.
We’ll start by heating a stick of butter in a glass measuring cup in the microwave. We want that butter hot, but not boiling. It should just be starting to bubble. Mine usually takes about 1 min 45 secs to get to where we need it. While the butter is melting, we’ll add a couple egg yolks, some lemon juice, some warm water (it’s important that it’s warm), and some Old Bay to the cup that comes with the blender. Turn the blender on for a few seconds to blend those first couple ingredients. Then very slowly drizzle the butter in, while the blender is running on high, until the sauce has thickened and becomes rich and velvety. From the time you microwave the butter to finish, the whole process only takes about 3 minutes.
To assemble, we’ll toast our English muffins. Then, we’ll layer on our crab cakes. And, I like the give the crab cakes a gentle smoosh to flatten them out so the eggs have a place to land. We’ll gently top the crab with the poached eggs. And, make sure to give those eggs a pinch of salt. Then, we’ll drizzle the stack with our luscious hollandaise. Finish the plate with an extra sprinkle of Old Bay and some minced chives, and it’s time to dig in.
This plate of deliciousness is rich and decadent and luxurious. From that savory and succulent crab cake to the creamy and tangy hollandaise, this fairly simple meal is quite the showstopper. And while most restaurants would charge at least $30 for one serving, we can make 4 servings for less than that! It’s a no brainer, really.
Alright, everyone! I know your loved ones are gonna be super impressed with you when you make this recipe, so make sure you tag me on socials so I can see too!
I hope you guys enjoy. And, let’s eat!
Crab Cake Eggs Benedict
Serves: 4 Print
Ingredients:
For the Maryland Crab Cakes:
½ lb (8 oz) lump crab meat, picked through for shells
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
¾ tsp lemon juice
1 egg
6 saltine crackers, crushed to crumbs
cooking spray
For the Eggs Benedict:
4 eggs
1 tsp white vinegar
Salt, to taste
2 english muffins, split and toasted
Old bay, to taste
Mince chives, for garnish
For the Hollandaise:
2 egg yolks
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp warm water
¼ tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 stick unsalted butter
Directions:
Make the Crab Cakes: Preheat the oven to broil. Arrange the top oven rack 6 inches from the heating unit. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray it with cooking spray.
To a mixing bowl, add mayonnaise, parsley, 1 tsp Old Bay, dijon, worcestershire, and lemon juice. Beat the egg very well with a fork until completely broken down, measure out 1 ½ tbsp of beaten egg, and add to the bowl. Discard remaining egg. Mix well until fully combined. Add crab and crushed crackers. Mix very gently until everything is just combined.
Divide the mix into 4. Then one portion at a time, use your hands to very gently form crab mix into a mound. Do not pack the mix tightly, just enough to keep the crab cake together. Place crab cake on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining crab mix. Broil crab cakes for 9-11 minutes until the outside of the crab cakes are golden brown. Use your hands to gently press the crab cakes down just a little to flatten out the tops. Set aside.
Make the Poached Eggs: Fill a medium saucepan or a high sided skillet 2/3 full with water and 1 tsp vinegar. Heat over medium high heat until the water just starts to lightly bubble. Add a generous pinch of salt to the water. Crack each egg into an individual ramekin. Carefully drop each egg into the water, and cook at a low simmer for exactly 3 minutes. If the water starts to bubble more than a very light simmer, reduce the heat to medium. Use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the water, and gently dab with a paper towel to get off any excess water. Set aside.
Meanwhile, make the hollandaise sauce: Place the butter in a glass measuring cup, and microwave until the butter is melted and just starts to bubble (about 1 ½ – 2 mins). In a tall cup that completely fits the base of an immersion blender, add 2 eggs yolks, lemon juice, water, and ¼ tsp Old Bay. Turn the blender on high, and blend for about 15 seconds to start to combine the ingredients. With the blender running on high, very slowly drizzle in the melted butter until you get to the bottom of the glass with the white solids. Stop drizzling when you reach the white solids, and discard what's left in the glass (about 1 tbsp). It should take about 30-45 seconds to drizzle all of the butter in and for the sauce to become thickened and creamy.
To serve, arrange toasted english muffins cut side up on serving plate. Top each with a crab cake, a poached egg seasoned with a tiny pinch of salt, a drizzle of hollandaise, a gentle dusting of Old Bay, and a pinch of minced chives. Serve immediately.
Recipe notes:
*You’ll have extra hollandaise leftover, and you can actually store it in the fridge for up to 2-3 days! To reheat it, microwave at 50% power in 15 second intervals, stirring well until the sauce has loosened back up. It shouldn’t take more than 30 seconds. Leftovers are not just great on eggs benny, but also on roasted veggies!
*Most immersion blenders (or stick blenders) come with a cup that's the perfect size for blending. Use that to make your sauce if you have it.
*It's very important to drizzle in the butter VERY slowly to make our sauce. If we pour it in too quickly, it won't blend with the sauce properly which will cause it to break and separate.
*Make sure you use original saltine crackers and not the unsalted variety. We need that extra little bit of salt in our crab cake.
*Definitely get fresh crab meat, if you can, as opposed to the stuff you buy in a can. The quality and taste is substantially different. To make this a traditional Maryland crab cake, use blue crab.
