Cajun Crab Cake Benedict with Pan Fried Green Tomatoes

Homemade Eggs Benedict is such a great brunch dish, and there are so many variations! It happens to be one of our favorite brunch dishes to make for a crowd! Probably because a poached egg, running down a stack of delicious ingredients is so comforting! So we decided to take some of our favorite brunch foods and make a delicious, decadent, and memorable Benny for the ages! We spiced it up, changed it up, and added some Southern flair. With tasty Cajun crab cakes, a light version of fried green tomatoes, a spicy lemon Hollandaise sauce, and a perfectly poached egg, this Cajun Crab Cake Benedict dish goes to new heights and will be sure to make whatever you’re drinking taste even better! 

Although we love the classic traditional eggs Benedict with an english muffin and Canadian bacon, we adore any take on the classic if it tastes good, especially with a rich hollandaise sauce!

Looking for more delicious Eggs Benedict recipes? Check out our classic recipes for Eggs Benedict or our Lobster Eggs Benedict with Saffron Cream Sauce to make for a special occasion or your next brunch!

Cajun Eggs Benedict

You may be thinking what makes this dish Cajun? Well, we have a delicious Cajun seasoning HERE that is used in the crab cakes as well as the spicy lemon hollandaise sauce. Crab cakes can certainly be of the Cajun variety and are (sorry Maryland) our favorites. And the Southern delicacy of fried green tomatoes engulfs Virginia to Texas so why not? Regardless what you call this crab cakes benedict dish, it pops with stimulating flavors and a feel-good spice that will leave you more than satisfied!

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• Cajun twist on a popular breakfast dish
• Perfect way to use leftover crab cakes.
• Nice spicy kick!
• A non-breaded Fried green tomato add a unique acidity that really excites this dish!
• It’s an exceptionally beautiful twist on the Benedict

Ingredients

Here is what you need to make this Cajun Crab Cake Benedict recipe:

• Cajun Crab Cakes: Our homemade cajun crab cakes are delicious and can be found HERE. They are meaty crab cakes that have a nice kick of heat from the cajun seasoning and are easy to make with lump crab meat. Additionally, you can often find a good pre-made cajun style crab cake in grocery stores. Check your seafood counter or frozen seafood section.
• Green Tomatoes: Green tomatoes are getting easier to find - we like the big beefsteak variety for this but any will do as long as they are green.
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• Eggs: Used three ways here - to help bread the tomatoes, in the hollandaise, and of course as poached eggs
• Vegetable Oil: To fry the tomatoes, we prefer grapeseed, avocado or safflower
• Butter: Unsalted butter at room temperature is one of the hollandaise sauce main players 
• Lemon Juice: This is what livens up our hollandaise sauce
• Cajun Seasoning: You can make your own HERE or use your favorite brand. A very appropriate garnish and quite easy to find in most grocery stores.
• Green Onions: A perfect garnish for this dish!
• Louisiana Hot Sauce: We like Crystal for this recipe. Another few drops for garnish because, why not?

See recipe card below for quantities.

Substitutions

Here are a couple of common substitutions for the ingredients in this recipe:

• Crab cakes: Use salmon, shrimp or other fish in place of the crab meat in the crab cakes. Also, you could use steamed crab legs, shrimp or lobster as the meat part of this recipe rather than a "cake."
• Lemon: You could use any citrus or a nice light (white wine, champagne) vinegar in the hollandaise sauce instead of lemon juice
• Green Onions: Chives are an obvious substitution here, but any herb as a garnish works as long as you like the flavor. Think parsley, finely chopped tarragon, or even toasted breadcrumbs!
• Green Tomatoes: If you can’t find them or don’t want to use them, you can use fried eggplant, or even red tomatoes as long as they are under-ripe

How to Make Cajun Crab Cake Benedicts

Once you have crab cakes, all that needs to be done is fry the tomatoes, which can be done quite easily, then make the sauce and eggs. Making hollandaise and poaching eggs scares a lot of people away from making eggs Benedict, but this is quite simple and easy enough to do well.

Equipment

Here is what you need to make this dish

• Large sauté pan or skillet for frying the tomatoes
• Medium saucepan for making the hollandaise
• Dutch oven or similar medium pot for poaching eggs
• Slotted spoon for removing the eggs

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prep the Tomatoes

• Sprinkle the tomatoes on both sides with salt and pepper to season.
• Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan or large skillet. There should be just a very thin layer of oil.

Step 2: Fry the tomatoes

• Gently place the tomatoes in the oil and shallow-fry until they are tender - about two minutes on each side depending on thickness. Remove from the oil to a rack, parchment, or paper towel to drain.

Step 3: Make the Hollandaise

• Next, begin your homemade Hollandaise sauce. Combine egg yolks, the water, and salt in a medium saucepan. Over low heat, whisk constantly and vigorously. The sauce should thicken in 5 minutes or so.
• Once thickened, whisk in butter a tablespoon at a time. Then whisk in lemon juice and Cajun seasoning.
• The sauce should be a nice yellow color and thick. Keep warm over another pot of hot water (double boiler) until ready to serve. You can also keep it in an insulated bottle (think Thermos). Just keep it above 140°F.

Step 4: Reheat the Crab Cakes

• This can be done while making the sauce. Gently reheat the crabcakes in a small skillet over low heat with a touch of oil, butter, or nonstick cooking spray 

Step 5: Poach the Eggs

• Reduce heat on the medium-large pot of boiling water so the water is at a low simmer. You do not want a rapid boil at this point. Add the splash of white vinegar to the water. Break each egg into an individual small ramekin or small bowl.
• When the water is simmering, stir in a clockwise direction to create a gentle whirlpool. Slide an egg into the center of the pot, loosen from the bottom with a rubber spatula and move it toward the outside of the pot. Repeat with the other 3 eggs, moving quickly. While the eggs cook, assemble your crab cake and fried green tomato slices on plates, with the crab cake on the bottom and the tomatoes on top of the crab cakes.
• When the eggs are finished (use 2 minutes as a guideline), remove with a slotted spoon, gently dry with paper towels and plate on top of the fried green tomatoes.

Step 6: Finish the Dish

• Give the warmed sauce a good whisk and pour as you like over the egg. If the sauce thickens too much, you can thin with a little warm water. Sprinkle with Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, extra cayenne pepper for more heat, and sliced green onions and serve.

Variations

Here are a couple ways to change up this recipe:

• To be even more extra, place a hash brown patty or crispy potatoes under the crab cake for additional flavor and texture. For a nice touch you could add sautéed spinach on top of the fried green tomato as well.
• Add some crispy bacon between the crab cake and the fried green tomato for a meaty, smoky version.

Storage

How to store leftover eggs Benedict:

• The individual components of crab cakes and fried green tomatoes can be stored for 3 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Extra eggs can be stored in an ice bath for a few hours and then can be reheated. Hollandaise sauce does not keep and needs to be used within 2 hours of making for best results.

How to reheat eggs Benedict?

• You can reheat eggs by putting them in warm water (about 150°F) for a few minutes.
• You can reheat the tomatoes by putting them back in a sauté pan and heating through
• You can gently reheat the crab cakes by putting them in a skillet on low with a little butter, oil, or nonstick spray 

Can you freeze leftover eggs benedict?

There really isn’t anything to freeze except for crab cakes, which can be frozen in an airtight freezer bag for 2 months

Troubleshooting

The most daunting thing to most folks is the thought of poaching an egg perfectly. Serving an egg with runny whites is a bad thing, but so is watching your hungry friends or family cut into their egg expecting a beautiful yellow-orange yolk to ooze out only to see a soft-boiled egg or worse! Once you understand how hot the water should be (just barely a simmer) about 190°F, give or take a couple of degrees, it becomes easier. If you want to practice before making this dish, it is a good idea! Just remember what the egg feels like to the touch when you remove the egg from the water.

What to Make with Cajun Crab Cake Eggs Benedict

Skillet fried potatoes with onions, bell peppers, and jalapeño peppers is a great addition to this dish as a side. You could also go with some buttery, cheesy grits and a side salad with a light vinaigrette.

What Drinks or Cocktails Pair with spicy Eggs Benedict

Any sparkling wine cocktails, mimosas, Prosecco, bloody Marys, screwdrivers or good coffee with chicory are great ideas to pair with this spicy Benedict.

FAQ

Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favorite brunch cocktails to serve with this recipe:

📖 Recipe

Cajun Crab Cake Benedict with Fried Green Tomatoes

A delectable twist on a classic Eggs Benedict with a Cajun spiced crab cake as the main ingredient with layers of fried green tomatoes and a poached egg. A spicy lemon hollandaise sauce is the finishing touch!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Breakfast/Brunch

Cuisine Cajun

Servings 4

Calories 362 kcal

Equipment

• Large sauté pan or skillet for frying the tomatoes
• medium saucepan for making the hollandaise
• Dutch oven or similar medium pot for poaching eggss
• slotted spoon for removing the egg

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 Cajun crab cakes

For the Fried Green Tomatoes:

• 1 Green tomato large, sliced ¼” thick (4 slices)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• Vegetable oil for frying

For the Hollandaise Sauce:

• 3 Egg yolks
• 2 Tablespoons water
• Pinch kosher salt
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

For the Poached Eggs

• 4 large eggs
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar

Garnish:

• 4 Green onions green parts only, sliced thinly
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• Louisiana Hot Sauce - a few drops for garnish if desired

Instructions

 

Prep the Tomatoes

• Sprinkle the tomatoes on both sides with salt and pepper to season. Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan or large skillet. There should be just a very thin layer of oil - just enough to lightly coat the pan.

Fry the tomatoes

• Gently place the tomatoes in the oil and shallow-fry until they are tender - about two minutes on each side depending on thickness. Remove from the oil to a rack, parchment, or paper towel to drain.

Make the Hollandaise

• Next, begin your homemade Hollandaise sauce. Combine egg yolks, the water, and salt in a medium saucepan. Over low heat, whisk constantly and vigorously. The sauce should thicken in 5 minutes or so.
• Once thickened, whisk in butter a tablespoon at a time. Then whisk in lemon juice and Cajun seasoning.
• The sauce should be a nice yellow color and thick. Keep warm over another pot of hot water (double boiler) until ready to serve. You can also keep it in an insulated bottle (think Thermos). Just keep it above 140°F.

Reheat the Crab Cakes

• This can be done while making the sauce. Gently reheat the crabcakes in a small skillet over low heat with a touch of oil, butter, or nonstick cooking spray

Poach the Eggs

• Reduce heat on the medium-large pot of boiling water so the water is at a low simmer. You do not want a rapid boil at this point. Add the splash of white vinegar to the water. Break each egg into an individual small ramekin or small bowl.
• When the water is simmering, stir in a clockwise direction to create a gentle whirlpool. Slide an egg into the center of the pot, loosen from the bottom with a rubber spatula and move it toward the outside of the pot. Repeat with the other 3 eggs, moving quickly. While the eggs cook, assemble your crab cake and fried green tomato slices on plates, with the crab cake on the bottom and the tomatoes on top of the crab cakes.
• When the eggs are finished (use 2 minutes as a guideline), remove with a slotted spoon, gently dry with paper towels and plate on top of the fried green tomatoes.

Finish the Dish

• Give the warmed sauce a good whisk and pour as you like over the egg. If the sauce thickens too much, you can thin with a little warm water. Sprinkle with Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, extra cayenne pepper for more heat, and sliced green onions and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 362kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 12gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 418mgSodium: 971mgPotassium: 220mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1663IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 3mg

Keyword Benedict, Cajun recipes, Crab, Crab Cakes, hollandaise, poached eggs

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Food safety

• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

​See more guidelines at USDA.gov.