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Who doesn’t love a GREAT Crab Cake?

June 2001 (updated in July 2006)

 

For the very best crab cakes, you should always start with fresh crabmeat. This was easy to do when I lived on the coast, but a little more challenging for inland Mariners.  Check out one of the local fish markets (such as Gulf Coast Fish Market). In a pinch, you can always used the cans of high quality lump crab (2-3 cans is roughly equal to a pound of fresh) or the new half-pound foil pouches. The lightest and best tasting cakes are nearly 100% crab meat. If you really want to “cheat”, you can order some of the very best from Phillips Seafood through the internet. Update: Now that we have relocated to the Chesapeake - we are once again enjoying fresh crab - in fact we have a crab trap that we hang over the side of our sailboat. During crab season, there are any number of roadside trailers or stands where you can buy fresh steamed crab or you can steam them yourself the Maryland way.

 

Maryland Steamed Blue Crabs - Mix: 1/8 cup seafood seasoning (Old Bay), 1/8 cup salt, 1 cup white vinegar, and 1 cup beer. Put 1 dozen. live blue crabs (belly down) in a large steamer pot basket. Pour beer mixture over the top. Steam, covered, until crabs turn bright orange-red (about 30-40 minutes) Serve hot or cold.

 

The World’s Best Crab Cakes - Over a late night card game while anchoring at Platter Flats, our friend Barbara boasted that her husband Jeff made the best crab cakes in the world. They got the recipe from the Cruise Inn on Palmetto one summer and graciously shared it with us. All I can say is that it wasn’t an idle boast – these rival any others I’ve tried – including those made by Phillips in Annapolis.

 

Beat the following ingredients until pepper is dissolved:

             2 eggs

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground red pepper

 Then mix in:

             1 Cup Mayonnaise

½ Cup grated and drained onion

 Crush: 10-20 saltine crackers and set aside.

 Pour egg mixture over 2 pounds of fresh crab meat (or 4 cans of high quality lump crab meat).  Add half of the cracker crumbs and blend gently. The mixture will be somewhat wet and loose. Shape into 12 (or 24 for appetizers) crab cakes. Carefully coat each cake in the remaining cracker crumbs. Fry in oil at 325 degrees until golden brown or bake at 350 degrees until brown and firm.


Faidley’s Crab Cakes - These crab cakes have been a favorite at the Chesapeake House for sixty years.

      Mix together:     

            ½ cup mayonnaise

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon hot sauce

Gently fold in:

1 pound fresh lump crabmeat

1 cup crushed saltines (about 20)

 Shape into 8 patties and chill one hour. Fry in hot oil at medium heat until golden.

 

Ubiquitous Crab -  This is one of the most versatile crab mixtures you could ever hope to find. You can serve this as an appetizer with crackers. Put it into mini pie shells and bake. Combine with rice or noodles for a great casserole. (Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes). Add chopped celery and serve on a bed of lettuce for a salad.  Or even use as a filling for crab sandwiches. Mix cream cheese with mayonnaise. Add remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until served. 

 

2 8-oz. Packages of cream cheese

¾ Cup Mayonnaise

½ Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated

2 6-oz cans fancy lump crabmeat

6 green onions, minced

2 eggs – hard boiled and diced

½ teaspoon each paprika and mustard

 

Crab Cakes with Lemon butter and Tomato Salsa - Even though we already know how to make the “World’s Best” crab cakes, this recipe from a recent magazine is definitely worth the effort and gives the “World’s Best” a run for the money.

 

SALSA: Mix the following ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill for up to 6 hours.

 

2 Cups plum tomatoes, diced

1/2 Cup onion, chopped

1/4 Cup cilantro, chopped

1 Tablespoon lime juice

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

 

LEMON BUTTER: Mix the first four ingredients from the following list and boil over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Add butter, one piece at a time. Remove from heat and whisk in cream. Season with salt and pepper. Can be made up to 2 hours ahead.

 

1/4 cup dry white wine

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons shallots, minced

1 each bay leaf

1 cup butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 Tablespoons Heavy cream

 

CRAB CAKES

 

2 Tablespoons Olive oil

1 Cup Yellow and Red Bell peppers, chopped

1/2 Cup onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 Teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 cup Fresh Bread crumbs

1 1/2 pounds Crab meat

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

2 each eggs, beaten

 

Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers, onions and garlic. Sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in Worcestershire, cayenne and breadcrumbs. Sauté 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Mix in crab and green onions. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in eggs. Using about 1/3 cup for each, form 16 crab cakes. Arrange on a baking sheet and chill for up to 2 hours.

 

FINAL PREPARATION: Melt 2 T. butter and 1 T. olive oil in each of two large skillets over medium heat. Sauté half the crab cakes in each pan until cooked through and golden (about 5 minutes per side). Re-warm lemon butter over low heat, whisking often. Divide lemon butter among 8 plates. Arrange 2 crab cakes on each plate. Top with salsa.