Serves 4-6 servings (about 28 beignets)
Crab Beignets
- 8ounces cooked lump crab meat
- 1cup organic unbleached flour
- 1teaspoon baking powder (I only use Rumford’s)
- 1teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
- 1pimiento, chopped
- 3scallions, finely chopped
- 4drops Cholula Hot Sauce
- Vegetable oil for frying (canola or peanut work well)
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Pick over the crab meat to remove any traces of shell. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients except the oil and lemon wedges with 1 cup of water. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set aside for 30 minutes.
Heat a couple of inches of oil in a deep heavy pot to 325 degrees F. Drop the batter by tablespoonful’s into the oil and fry until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Be sure not to crowd the beignets in the hot oil, or they won’t fry evenly. Drain and serve hot with a lemon wedge and the aioli.
Teacher’s Tip:
It’s important to have your oil at the right temperature. Too hot, and your beignets will burn – too cold, and the beignets will absorb the oil and become greasy and unpleasant.
Wine Tip:
A sparkling wine would be just right with these crispy morsels, or a well-chilled Alsatian Riesling.
Aïoli
- 1tablespoon fine, dry, unflavored breadcrumbs
- 1tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 6garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3large egg yolks
- 1/2teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/8teaspoon white pepper
- 1cup extra-virgin olive oil
Soak the breadcrumbs in the vinegar for 5 minutes, then squeeze the crumbs dry in the corner of a towel.
In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, chop the garlic, then add the crumbs and combine with the garlic to make a smooth paste. Add egg yolks, salt and white pepper and combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Now, with the motor running, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. When all the oil is in, you have aïoli.
Author Notes: These crispy morsels are so delicious you will find yourself unable to stop eating them. If you serve them for a party, plan on hiring someone just to fry them, or you’ll be stuck behind the stove. Your guests will keep asking for more! Aïoli makes the perfect dipping sauce. (You want it to be a bit loose.) – ChefJune (less) —ChefJune
Food52 Review: These are the bounciest beignets you’ll ever taste, partnered with a punchy aioli. Chef June sticks to her convictions, using all olive oil and lots of egg yolk and garlic to great effect here, against fritters studded with sweet crab. We loved her use of vinegar-softened breadcrumbs in the aioli — a traditional Provençal technique which bolsters and thickens the sauce, threading a subtle vinegary aroma through without compromising the aioli’s smooth, buttery texture. – A&M (less) —the Editors
By ChefJune
**Grabbed from: https://food52.com/recipes/12011-crab-beignets-with-aioli-dipping-sauce