Aishling Moore: Crab burgers are the taste of summer

If you’re looking for a way of getting more seafood on the table then picked brown crab meat for supper is a super safe bet, indeed.

Weekend Food Marking: Goldie / Aishling Moore: XX Jillian Bolger 18/06/26: Crab burgers: Picture: Chani Anderson

Irish brown crab comes into its own in summertime. The picked meat from this shellfish sings with its other in season counterparts.

Sun-kissed tomatoes, herbs galore, courgettes and fruity chillies all playing the most stunning of pairings to this sea creature.

I always think that crustaceans – langoustine, lobster, crab and the like – are the perfect introduction to seafood, their sweet and succulent meat being so appealing to so many.

As a chef, there is no greater joy than preparing a whole animal. The challenge of extracting every last bit of meat from the species and flavour from the shells or bones is one I very much relish.

When it comes to crab, it’s my preference to work with whole crabs, first dispatching before steaming, then breaking the crustacean apart, scooping out all the brown meat from the main body and extracting the white meat from the claws and crevices.

The leftover shells make the most wonderful fish soups and sauces.

The process is richly rewarding but laborious and time-consuming. Therefore, it is just so handy that there are some exceptional picked Irish brown crab meat available in supermarkets and fishmongers across the country.

It’s great folded through pasta, dressed with Marie-Rose sauce, packed into pies or shaped into fish cakes.

This weekend, I have flavoured a pack of picked crab meat with Old Bay Seasoning and used panko breadcrumbs and eggs to bind the mixture into burger shaped patties.

They’re fried in a pan until golden brown before getting stuffed into a brioche burger bun and finished with a classic burger sauce.

Aishling Moore's Crab Burgers

recipe by:Aishling Moore

If you’re looking for a way of getting more seafood on the table and trying to please a gang of trepidatious fish-eaters, then picked brown crab meat for supper is a super safe bet, indeed.

Servings

6

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 500g picked brown crab meat

• 2 eggs

• 100g panko breadcrumbs

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• ½ red onion, finely diced

• 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning*

• 1 tbsp flatleaf parsley chopped

• Sea salt

• 3 tbsp rapeseed oil (for cooking)

• For the burger sauce

• 4 tbsp mayonnaise

• 1 tbsp ketchup

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• ½ tsp hot sauce

• 1 tbsp gherkin, finely chopped

• Zest of 1 lemon

• Cracked black pepper

• Sea salt

• To serve

• 6 x brioche burger buns

• 1 red onion, finely sliced

• 1 butterhead lettuce

• 1 tbsp picked fresh herbs such as dill or chervil

Method

1. First make the burger sauce

2. Place the mayonnaise, ketchup, Dijon mustard, hot sauce, finely diced gherkins and lemon zest in a bowl and mix well to combine.

3. Taste to adjust seasoning and finish with freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt.

4. Next, make the crab burgers

5. Place the picked crab meat in a fine sieve or strainer and press to remove any excess moisture.

6. Place the drained crab meat, eggs, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, seasoning and parsley in a large bowl and mix well to combine.

7. Season with sea salt and shape into six even-sized burgers.

8. Place on a large plate or baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to firm up.

9. To cook, heat a large heavy-based frying pan on medium high heat. Add a couple of tablespoons of rapeseed oil and cook, working in batches, on each side until golden brown, before transferring to a baking tray and finishing in a preheated oven at 180˚C degrees for five minutes until warm in the centre.

10. Season with sea salt flakes.

11. While the crab burgers are warming through in the oven, toast the brioche burger buns.

12. To assemble, place half a tablespoon of the burger sauce on the base of each bun.

13. Top each sauce base with a layer of lettuce and then place the crab burgers on top.

14. Finish with more of the burger sauce, some finely sliced red onion and picked fresh herbsbefore placing the brioche burger lid on top.

15. Serve immediately.

Fish tales

The crab burgers can be made and shaped ahead of time and also store well in the freezer.

Draining the excess moisture from the crab is an important step to make sure the burgers will hold their shape when cooking.

These crab burgers could also be cooked in an air fryer.

If you can’t get your hands on Old Bay Seasoning you can add some smoked paprika, a touch of chilli powder, a pinch of black pepper, season with celery salt instead of sea salt and a quarter teaspoon of mustard powder.

Any leftovers of the burger sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.