A recipe for the ubiquitous daikon and carrot pickle (do chua) is in many of my cookbooks, and on this site.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
2bolillo rolls or petite baguettes
1 ½tablespoonsfinely chopped green onion,green and white parts
2tablespoonsfinely chopped cilantro sprigs
¼teaspoonblack pepper
1tablespooncrab fat (tomalley), optionall
½ to 1teaspoonfish sauce (use more if not using crab fat)
6ouncescrabmeat,freshly picked or purchased jumbo lump
Fine sea salt, as needed
1large egg
½cuppankoor ⅓ cup flour (regular all-purpose or rice, such as Bob’s Red Mill)
2 to 3tablespoonsneutral oil
Sandwich fixings
Rollsfrom above
2 to 3tablespoonsmayonnaise(full-fat highly encouraged)
Maggi Seasoning Sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos
¼ to ⅓cupdrained Pickled Daikon and Carrot
6 to 8Jalapeno slices
6 to 8Cucumber slices
¼cupcoarsely chopped cilantro sprigs
Instructions
Use a bread knife to cut the bread in half lengthwise, leaving a hinge on one side. Use your fingers to remove the insides. Rub and crumble the bread into a bowl to make sure they are in small, crumbly bits. Aim for ½ cup (16 to 20 g) of fresh bread crumbs.
Add the cilantro, pepper, crab fat, fish sauce, and crab. Gently stir and fold to combine. Taste and add pinches of salt, if you like. Break the egg into the mixture. Poke the yolk then stir and fold into the mixture. Expect the crab to fall apart. Divide the crab cake mixture into 4 portions then shape them into ½ to ¾ inch thick cakes, each about 3 inches wide. Place on a wax or parchment paper-lined plate or baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 24 hours. The longer the better to get the cakes to firm up.
Put half of the panko (or flour) on a plate. Use a turner-style spatula to transfer each chilled crab cake onto the panko. Sprinkle the remaining panko (or flour) on top. Pat the coating onto each crab cake.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When shimmering, pick up each crab cake, dredging it in extra coating, as needed, then gently place in the skillet. Increase the heat slightly, then pan-fry for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until crispy and browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes then assemble your sandwich.
Heat the rolls in a 350F toaster oven, let cool, then spread mayonnaise on the inside. Drizzle in the Maggi, add the crab cakes, pickle, chile, cucumber and cilantro. Close and cut in half if you like. Then eat up.
Notes
To crisp and refresh, mist the rolls or light rub them with water before heating in the toaster oven.