Miso Crab Cakes

By David Tanis

Published June 11, 2025

Miso Crab Cakes
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
1 hour, plus chilling
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes, plus chilling
Rating
5(14)
Comments
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These meaty crab cakes, bound with puréed scallops and enhanced with miso and ginger, can be made a day in advance, along with the dipping sauce. But arguably the most fun part is pickling the daikon. Once peeled and cut paper-thin, sprinkled with salt, sugar and rice wine vinegar, and tossed with some slivers of ginger, it’s ready to eat in an hour or so. Stored in a jar in the fridge, it’ll keep for a week.

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Ingredients

Yield:18 (2-ounce) cakes

    For the Pickle

    • 1 to 2small daikon radish, any color, cut crosswise into paper-thin slices (2 cups)
    • 2tablespoons very thinly sliced ginger
    • 2teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
    • 1teaspoon granulated sugar
    • ½ cup rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar

    For the Cakes

    • ½ pound sea scallops
    • ¼ cup white miso
    • 2large eggs, lightly beaten
    • 1½ pounds crab meat
    • Salt and pepper 
    • 2teaspoons grated ginger
    • ½ cups thinly sliced scallions
    • 1 to 2cups panko bread crumbs
    • Vegetable oil, avocado oil or clarified unsalted butter, for frying
    • Lightly dressed greens (optional)

    For the Dipping Sauce

    • 2tablespoons white miso
    • 2teaspoons lemon zest, preferably from a Meyer lemon
    • 2tablespoons lemon juice, preferably from a Meyer lemon
    • Pinch of cayenne
    • ¾ cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade
    • 2tablespoons thinly sliced scallions 
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (18 servings)

284 calories; 24 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 10 grams protein; 549 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the pickle: Put sliced daikon and ginger in a bowl. Sprinkle with kosher salt and sugar, and toss well. Add vinegar and toss again. Let sit while you prepare the crab cakes. (Pickle can be made up to a week in advance.)

  2. Step 2

    Make the cakes: Put scallops, miso and eggs in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to a rough purée. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl.

  3. Step 3

    Mix in crab meat with a spatula. Add salt and pepper to taste, grated ginger and scallions, and mix well to incorporate.

  4. Step 4

    Form into 2-ounce balls, roll in panko, and flatten into ½-inch-thick cakes. Refrigerate for about 45 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Make the dipping sauce: Stir together miso, lemon zest, lemon juice and cayenne. Add mayonnaise and scallions. Stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning.

  6. Step 6

    Pour ½ inch oil in a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. When oil is wavy, place crab cakes in the pan without crowding. Adjust heat to gently fry and achieve color slowly, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined tray and keep warm, and repeat with remaining cakes, cooking in batches and adding more oil as necessary. Serve crab cakes with dipping sauce, daikon pickle and a lightly dressed salad, if you like.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
14 user ratings
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Comments

Dave

Anybody in New England who puréed a scallop would be sent to New York to become a Yankee fan.

Thom

Hmm. Puréeing scallops seems like a waste. Could the same binder effect be achieved with the same amount of cod?

RunBakeEat

It would be more helpful for commentators to try something they wouldn't have thought of doing - like puréeing scallops - than just expressing skepticism. Then share whether it works. I'm sure a lot of trial and experience went into these recipes, and delight comes when something unexpected works!

s

I made THIS recipe. The scallop purée gave the cakes a sweet, creamy texture that I liked. The mixture was too loose (maybe I didn’t dry the scallops very well) so I added a small amount of crushed crackers to the mixture. After browning In fry pan, I finished them in a 350 degree toaster oven for 7 minutes

RunBakeEat

Made this for a special-occasion. The scallop-miso-egg binding does elevate the cakes. No salt needed given the natural salty-sweetness of the seafood. Used Kewpie mayo for the dip, foregoing the additional miso. Overall, worth it! That includes pureeing the scallops. I don't share the sense of sacrilege; fine-dining restaurants puree all sorts of premium ingredients, and experimenting can make food (and life) more flavorful. The scallops aren't wasted but enjoyed as part of the cakes.

Irwin

Being allergic to shellfish I substituted deboned rotisserie chicken moistened with chicken stock.

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