Name: Royal Thai Crab Cakes Recipe
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: Sauce; 1/2 cup water; 1/2 cup white vinegar; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeds scooped out with a spoon, and thinly sliced crosswise; 1 medium shallot, sliced thin; 3 tablespoons thinly sliced Thai chilies or jalapeños; Crab Cakes; 1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked over; 2 cups cold, cooked, long-grain rice, such as Jasmine (rinse the rice before cooking); 1/4 pound Virginia ham, finely diced; 2 large eggs, lightly beaten; 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk (from a small can); 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 cup plain Panko bread crumbs; Oil for pan-frying

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These Thai Crab Cakes are unique and irresistibly good! Made with fresh crabmeat, fluffy cooked rice and bits of salty ham, they're light and crispy on the outside, with a tender and flavorful interior. Serve them on a platter with our tangy sweet and sour dipping sauce for a truly unforgettable appetizer.

One crab cake on a square appetizer plate with cilantro leave, a platter of crab cakes in the background

Royal Thai Crab Cakes

This crab cakes recipe was designed to be served to royalty and they really are something special. They have that wonderful balance of complex flavors that is so prized in Thai cuisine and they make a very elegant presentation on a platter.

The recipe comes from the cookbook True Thai by Victor Sodsook. Here's what you'll need to make these:

Thai Crab Cakes Ingredients

Fresh lump crabmeat
Cold cooked long-grain rice, such as Jasmine
Virginia ham
Eggs
All-purpose flour
Sweetened condensed milk (from a small can)
Panko bread crumbs
Kosher salt
Oil for pan-frying

How to make these very special Thai Crab Cakes

Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl: crabmeat, cooked rice, chopped ham, eggs, flour, condensed milk and salt.

This is a simple recipe with just a handful of ingredients that work beautifully together. The combination of fresh lump crabmeat and fluffy cooked rice makes for a delicate texture and brings out the sweetness of the crab. Tiny bits of chopped salty ham add a delicious depth of flavor.

Glass bowl filled with Thai crab cakes ingredients arranged in piles: cooked rice, chopped ham, whisked eggs, lump crab meat.

Mix everything together and form into small, 2-inch patties. Coat the patties with Panko crumbs and sauté them until they're golden brown.

22 uncooked crab Cakes on a parchment lined baking tray

When you sauté the crab cakes, they get a beautiful golden brown crispy crust.

3 crab cakes sautéing in a cast iron skillet with 5 golden brown cooked crab cakes on a paper towel lined plate in the background

Here's what you'll need for the sweet and sour dipping sauce:

White vinegar
Brown sugar
Cucumber
Shallot
Thai chilies or jalapeños

Make the dipping sauce

This sweet and sour dipping sauce is the perfect accompaniment and a cinch to make.

In a small saucepan, simmer a mixture of water, vinegar, sugar and salt for about 10 minutes. Remove it from the heat. When cool, mix with thinly sliced cucumbers, shallots, and chilies.

Royal Thai Crab Cakes by Panning The Globe

Serving Suggestions

Serve Royal Thai Crab Cakes as a party appetizer, arranged on a platter with the dipping sauce in a small bowl in the center. Or to serve these as the first course for a sit down dinner, plate them on a bed of butter lettuce and pass the dipping sauce around.

10 crisp golden brown crab cakes on a green square platter with a small leaf-shaped bowl of sweet and sour dipping sauce in the center

If you're a fan of delicious homemade Thai food here are some other recipes to try.

Here's the Royal Thai Crab Cakes recipe. If you try this, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!

Royal Thai Crab Cakes Recipe

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5 from 4 reviews

Author: Lisa
Total Time: 55 mins
Yield: 20-24 crab cakes 1x

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Description

Light, crispy royal Thai crab cakes are unique and delicious. Serve them with our sweet and sour dipping sauce for a fantastic appetizer or first course for a dinner party.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Sauce
½ cup water
½ cup white vinegar
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeds scooped out with a spoon, and thinly sliced crosswise
1 medium shallot, sliced thin
3 tablespoons thinly sliced Thai chilies or jalapeños
Crab Cakes
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked over
2 cups cold, cooked, long-grain rice, such as Jasmine (rinse the rice before cooking)
¼ pound Virginia ham, finely diced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk (from a small can)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain Panko bread crumbs
Oil for pan-frying

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Instructions

Make the sauce In a small saucepan, combine water, vinegar, sugar and salt. bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for 10-12 minutes, until it thickens slightly. Remove from heat and set it aside to cool.
Meanwhile put the sliced cucumber, sliced shallot, and chilies into a small serving bowl. Pour the cooled sauce on top. Stir and set aside.
Make the crab cakes Sprinkle Panko bread crumbs onto a large plate. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, add the crab, ham, eggs, flour, condensed milk, rice and salt. Use your hands to mix thoroughly. Form the crab mixture into small patties (about 2 inches across - about 3 level tablespoons of the mixture per cake) You'll have to press them together firmly as you shape them, to get them to be sturdy. As you form a cake, press it into the plate of crumbs. Coat both sides and place it onto the parchment. Continue until all the crab is used. You should have 20-24 crab cakes.
Line a large plate or cookie sheet with paper towels. Heat about ½ inch of oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, until it's hot enough to sizzle a Panko crumb. Cook crab cakes in batches of 4 or 5 until golden brown and cooked through, about 25-35 seconds per side. Using a slotted spoon or slotted spatula, transfer cakes to paper-towel-lined plate or cookie sheet to drain.
Arrange the crab cakes on a platter and serve warm, with dipping sauce.
Note: The crab mixture can be made a day ahead and kept covered in the fridge.

Prep Time: 45 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Category: Appetizer
Method: Sauté
Cuisine: Thai

This recipe was first published in March of 2013. It has been updated with useful information added to the written post and added helpful details to give you an overview of the ingredients needed and cooking steps required to prepare and serve this dish. The recipe instructions have been edited for improved clarity. We haven't touched the recipe because, by all accounts, it's great just the way it is!

Royal Thai Crab Cakes

Royal Thai Crab Cakes

Thai Crab Cakes Ingredients

How to make these very special Thai Crab Cakes