Crab Cakes Supreme


I have always enjoyed the thought of crab cakes. It is something that I want to like! I have ordered them in restaurants on occasion, only to walk away disappointed. I keep trying but I have never had what I consider something to shout about! I had almost decided that crab cakes weren't for me, until last week.

The June/July 2009 issue of Fine Cooking had a Crab Cake Cook-off. The article compares the Classic Maryland Crab Cake by Susie Middleton and an update by chef, Eric Ripert. One could say that I am a traditionalist. After reading the article, I decided that I would try the classic recipe but only after I did a little research. I have this habit of reading through three or four recipes for the same dish....comparing, analyzing, and generally deciding which of the recipes will be my "base" and what ingredients I will want to add or delete.

I found a recipe for the Ultimate Crab Cake by Kim at Squidoo. Tyler Florence has an Ultimate Crab Cake recipe also, but the two recipes share only the name.

Kim swears that nothing can beat her recipe. So, I decided that I would start with this one. It looked easy enough. I only made a few adjustments. I used only the scallions omitting the additional onion, I added lemon juice and I used Panko bread crumbs instead of the traditional bread crumbs and kosher salt instead of sea salt.

These crab cakes were wonderful! I will definitely make them again.



Crab Cakes Supreme
1 lb jumbo lump crab meat
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp heavy cream
1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
dash cayenne pepper
fresh ground pepper, to taste
3 Tbsp minced scallions
1/4 cup minced parsley
1/3 cup mayonnaise
few dashes of pepper vinegar
1/2 to 1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl with the cream, mustard, Worcestershire, lemon juice, pepper vinegar, Old Bay Seasoning, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste until mixture is well blended. Add the scallions, parsley and mayonnaise. Gently fold in the crab meat and breadcrumbs taking care not to break up the jumbo crab lumps. Using your hands, divide the crab meat into eighths shaping them gently into rounds. Place on a cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for one hour. Heat a few Tbsp butter and oil in heavy skillet. Saute 3 to 4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven or warming oven. Serve with Spicy Tartar Sauce and lemon wedges on the side.

Spicy Tartar Sauce

2 Tbsp pepper vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1/4 tsp kosher salt
fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 splashes of Tabasco
1 cup mayonnaise (I used reduced fat mayonnaise)
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 Tbsp dill relish
1/4 to 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Lemon juice, to taste

Mix ingredients together. Chill one hour. Serve with crab cakes.

PRINTABLE RECIPE


Enjoy!

Comments

  1. Hi Kate,
    I share your experiences with crab cakes..rarely had one I really liked..
    Haven't made one I really loved either!
    So I look fwd to trying this recipe, minus the Old Bay..:), well maybe a scootch of it!
    Let us know if you try the other and how it stacks up..
    Thanks for the recipe!

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  2. Wow! Beautiful job! I haven't made crab cakes in ages. I should make some very soon. thanks for the inspiration!

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  3. the only, ONLY time i ever had a bite of seafood that i almost enjoyed, it was a crab cake. yours look lovely indeed, particularly with the dollop of tartar sauce on top.

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  4. I recently discovered panko bread crumbs and I can't get enough of them. I love using them in place of the plain old bread crumbs.

    Your crab cakes look so delicious. I wonder if my husband would be willing to eat them. He's not a big seafood lover. :0(

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  5. OOOOOOOO i AM DOING THE HAPPY DANCE..... I love, love, love crab cakes.
    This sounds divine.................yumma lumma ~

    ReplyDelete

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