Yield: 8 Servings
Crab Cakes are a luxurious food. Great Crabmeat is to be
treated with a certain reverence. So don't try to stretch
the crabmeat by adding more filler or buy less expensive
crab, it just won't work. I recommend using Jumbo Lump Blue
Crab from the Chesapeake Bay. If this is unavailable then
use the best you can find but if you're not happy with the
raw ingredient then wait until you can place a special order
for the "good stuff". Don't be shocked, good Jumbo
Lump can cost upwards of $30 per pound or more. Frozen Crab
is perfectly fine but it will be a bit watery when defrosted
so drain it carefully.
Ingredients:
2-Pound Jumbo Lump Blue Crabmeat
6 Scallions, finely chopped about 3/4 of the way down the
green part
3 Tablespoon Chopped Basil
4 Teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
3-6 Tablespoons Fine Breadcrumbs (use just enough to have
the cakes start to bind)
1/2-Cup Mayonnaise or Homemade Aioli
2 Large Egg
Salt and Pepper
Method:
1) Pick over the crabmeat to remove any shells. Be gentle,
the lumps of crab are delicate and will fall apart. Set
aside.
2) Mix together the Mayonnaise, Old Bay, Scallions, Basil,
and Egg.
3) Pour Mayo mixture over the crabmeat and with you hands
gently mix together.
4) Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the crab mixture and continue
to mix.
5) Divide the mixture into four parts and mold together
the cakes. (do not rinse off you hands between steps 4 and
5, it is mixture on you hands that help the cakes stay together)
6) Pre Heat you oven to 400 degrees
7) Smear the Crab Cakes with a miniscule amount of olive
oil and sear in a skillet or on a griddle top until golden
brown on both sides. The Cakes have such little binder that
you need to be careful when flipping the over that they
don't fall apart.
8) Place the pan in the oven for about 5 minutes or so to
heat through.
9) Variation: I prefer to use a grill with really good hardwood
briquette or mesquite. You'll need a special rack accessory
that can be found in any store that sells grills. I use
a rack with little holes so the crab won't fall through
into the fire. Make sure that the rack is well seasoned
or the crab will stick to the grill. If you're good with
a grill then go for it.
10) Serve with a red cocktail sauce or a flavored (I use
Basil) mayonnaise.
Cocktail Sauce
Ingredients:
2 Pints Ketchup
2 Tablespoons Horseradish
1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
1 1/2 Teaspoons Pepper
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder (to taste)
Pinch Cayenne (to taste)
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
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