Crab Cakes Recipe
Crab Cakes
Here is a simple crab cake recipe. Before I outline the ingredients, here are a few pointers:
Always use jumbo lump crab meat– leave out the claw, and back fin meat.
Old Bay Seasoning may good for some things, but not crab cakes. You’re showcasing the crab meat, which is delicate and flavorful. Don’t over-power the sweetness of the meat by adding strong spices or herbs.
Never deep-fry crab cakes- this simply saturates the cakes with excess oil. They become soggy, and unappealing.
Leave out the bell peppers. Peppers have a strong, distinct flavor. Once again, we’re not trying to over-power the crab meat.
Buy a scooper. This will ensure that your crab cakes are uniform, and cook evenly.
3 cans of lump crab meat, 14 oz. each
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup of mayonnaise
zest of 2 lemons
juice of 1 lemon
2 cups unseasoned bread crumbs
¼ cup of chopped Italian parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive Oil and Butter for frying
Directions:
Put the contents of the three cans of crab in a bowl. Add the beaten eggs, mayonnaise, lemon zest and lemon juice. Gently, break apart the crab, and incorporate the ingredients together. Next, add the bread crumbs, chopped parsley, and salt and pepper. Fold these ingredients together with the crab mixture with a spatula being very careful not to break apart the lump crab meat. With a scoop or busher, place balls of the crab mixture onto a baking tray. Form the balls into standard cake shapes.
Place a frying pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil and butter to the pan. When the oil becomes hot, place the crab cakes, one at a time into the pan and fry until golden brown on each side. Remove from the pan onto a paper towel to remove excess oil. Place the crab cakes on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until heated throughout. Serve with lemon wedges and tartar sauce. Left-overs may be used to make crab cake sandwiches.
Chef Chuck Kerber
chuck@cooksandeats.com
