Recently, my daughter requested crab cakes for dinner. I was actually surprised that she wanted them, I was sure it was salmon cakes she liked, but to be honest I was happy to oblige. I like Crab Cakes. When I think of crab cakes, I think East Coast, but as I live on the West Coast – I also think Disneyland Blue Bayou crab cakes. They are good! I found a nice recipe in one of my many cookbooks: America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (page 281) I doubled the recipe because the recipe served 4 and we are a family of 5. I took leftovers to a neighbor, who said the crab cakes rivaled those served in a fancy restaurant. It made me smile. This truly is a good recipe! They make very large crab cakes though, so I probably would have been okay keeping the recipe at 4 servings and making the crab cakes slightly smaller. I added a kick of creole seasoning (Konriko brand is my favorite seasoning, that is available through the internet).
Crab Cakes
adapted from America’s Test Kitchen’s Family Cookbook
Serves 8
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs canned refrigerated backfin crab meat (Pacific Cove is an excellent brand)
- 6 Tbsp dried breadcrumbs
- 8 scallions, thinly sliced (green part only)
- 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley (or cilantro, dill, or basil)
- 1 1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 tsp Creole Seasoning (optional, but if not using increase Old Bay to 1 Tbsp)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup flour, or more as needed
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions:
In a large bowl, using a fork gently combine the crab meat, dry breadcrumbs, scallions, parsley (or other spices), Old Bay Seasoning, Creole seasoning.
Add the mayonnaise and gently fold it into the crab meat. Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper if necessary. (If you are adding creole seasoning it may not need any and if you are not using it then increase the Old Bay seasoning to 1 Tbsp.) Gently fold in the beaten eggs. Add more breadcrumbs if necessary. I used less than called for.
Divide the crab meat into 8 equal portions. Gently form them into balls and flatten them slightly. They are quite large almost fist sized. Cover the crab cakes with plastic wrap and cool for 30 minutes or longer.
Heat 1/4″ canola oil in a non stick skillet, or cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Remove the crab cakes from the refrigerator and lightly coat them in flour just before frying them in the oil. Fry them until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side and remove them to a platter and keep warm while you finish cooking the remaining crab cakes. Serve with lemon wedges and Spicy Remoulade Sauce if you wish.
Remoulade Sauce
adapted from: http://southernfood.about.com/od/saucerecipes/r/r90627b.htm
Yields: about 1 cup
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 Tbsp finely chopped dill pickle
- 1 tsp finely chopped rinsed capers
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
- dash Frank’s hot sauce, or to taste (I used about 3 tsp)
- salt, to taste
Preparation:
Combine the mayonnaise, chopped dill pickle, chopped capers, lemon juice, mustard, and parsley. Taste and add hot sauce and salt, until you like the taste of the sauce.
Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
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