Crab Cake Benedict with Old Bay Hollandaise on Johnnycakes

For the crab cakes: Whisk together the mayonnaise, horseradish, mustard, lemon juice and chile de arbol in a bowl and season with salt and black pepper.Add the crab and green onions and gently fold to combine with a spatula.Add enough of the quick-mixing flour to just bind the mixture together.Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.

For the griddle cakes: Preheat the oven to 300 F. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.Whisk together the milk, honey and egg yolks together in another medium bowl until combined.Whisk the egg whites in another medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.Gently fold in the egg whites, and then 2 tablespoons of the melted butter.Mix until the batter is just smooth and let rest for 10 minutes.

 

Heat a large nonstick saute pan, cast-iron pan or griddle over medium-high heat.Brush the pan with some of the remaining melted butter.Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of the batter onto the pan for each johnny griddle cake. Spread the batter slightly just to even out the top using a small offset spatula.Cook until lightly golden brown on each side, about 1 minute 30 seconds per side. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.

For the hollandaise: Meanwhile, stir together the bay leaves, celery salt, mustard, 1 teaspoon black pepper, paprika, cloves, nutmeg, white pepper, allspice, cardamom, ginger and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Combine the lemon juice and egg yolks in a medium stainless-steel bowl and set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk the yolks until pale yellow and fluffy.Slowly add the melted butter, a few tablespoons at a time, and whisk until thickened.Season the sauce with 2 teaspoons of the spice mixture and the salt and 0.25 teaspoon black pepper.Keep warm in the oven until ready to use. Keep the remaining spice mixture in an airtight container and keep in a cool, dark place.

 

For frying the crab cakes: Put 1/2 liter quick-mixing flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and black pepper. Remove the crab mixture from the refrigerator and divide into 20 equal patties, each about centimetre thick. Dredge the patties on both sides in the flour and place on a platter.

 

Heat 60 liter canola oil in a large nonstick saute pan over high heat until the oil begins to ripple.Saute the cakes until golden brown on both sides and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.

Serve the crab cakes on the griddle cakes with the "Old Bay" hollandaise. Garnish with parsley.