Thursday, March 21, 2013

Crab Cakes


I know that you're either a seafood person or you're not, and I hate to be rude, but if you don't appreciate the melt-in-your mouth, buttery deliciousness of crab... HIT THE ROAD.

But then come back here in a few days. There might be cookies.




So I actually made these in Florida a few weeks ago. Seems like a dream now.

And I thought that when we got home it was going to be spring. You sit on a throne of lies, Mr. Groundhog.

But as I was saying, in Florida I always order crab cakes when we go out to eat. This poses a problem since I've recently discovered that gluten bothers me (and my poor father) and crab cakes are usually like 70% crumbs. So after we were done eating at the restaurant, Dad says to me, "You got the crab cakes too, didn't you?" and I nod and shake his hand bracingly and say, "Good luck". 

Well, of course we had tummy aches for about a week, but dare I say... it was almost worth it?


But not worth it enough to do it again. So I'll just have to make my own.


I use one can of fancy white and one can of fancy lump. Okay, yeah... fancy lump sounds kinda gross. Trust me though, this is the good stuff. The reason I use a can of fancy white too is because A. It's a lot cheaper and B. Because it helps hold it all together since it's more shredded up. I'm pretty sure that fancy white is meat from the body of the crab and fancy lump is from the legs.

I also use cornbread crumbs instead of breadcrumbs since I'm always making gluten free cornbread, but you could use regular breadcrumbs, cracker crumbs, or whatever. I think the cornbread gives it a good flavor though so it's up to you.


After you've got all the stuff mixed up, form it into some nice, little Krabby Patties.


You actually might want to do them a little smaller than I did. The smaller you make them, the easier they'll be to flip when you're cooking them. I actually made a few that were about half this size, but I didn't take photos because they were pretty much immediately eaten after flying off the pan.


Ain't nothing more beautiful than a golden crab cake frying in the pan.

Don't forget the remoulade and a squirt of lemon juice.


Crab Cakes

6 oz. fancy lump crab meat, drained
6 oz. fancy white crab meat, drained
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped white onion
1 small clove minced garic
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup real mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/8 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon old bay seasoning
A few shakes of hot sauce (optional)
1/2 cup cornbread crumbs (breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs would also work.)

A few tablespoons of light olive oil for frying

Remoulade sauce, lemon wedges, chopped red bell peppers, and chopped green onions for garnish.

Combine all the ingredients for the crab cakes and gently stir together. Form into small patties (the smaller they are, the easier they'll be to flip) and fry in a few tablespoons of oil on about medium heat. Flip them very carefully once the bottom is browned. Continue to cook until the other side is browned. Serve with remoulade and lemon wedges and garnish with more chopped red bell peppers and green onions if desired.



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2 comments:

  1. Haha.. Kraby Patties get of every time. The crab design is super cute! I'll definitely try this out when I see some crabs around. And I agree, people who don't like seafood are weird. :-P

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  2. Being from Maryland I am a very harsh judge of crab cakes and living in Florida I have access to them almost all year round. so I will be trying this recipe this week and will return with my review of what looks like an incredible version of the classic crab cake. I like that you included Old Bay seasoning.

    BTW the lump crab meat is the meat that comes from the body, specifically the strong tasty meat that attaches to the legs at the back fin. It comes out in delicious lumps rather than stringy like the claw meat. Claw meat is very different to the lump meat and will usually be marked as claw meat. Claw meat is not as tasty as the lump meat and it is much darker, no white at all.

    According to the web site ehow white crab meat is from the front of the crab but I don't see much difference between that and the back fin meat. Back fin just comes out as clumps. I have been eating Maryland steamed blue crabs all my life and consider myself an expert both in judging quality as well as taking the darn things apart bare handed and not leaving behind one thread of meat.

    Whats the secret to eating steamed crabs? Don't talk. The more you talk the less you eat. You know who the experts are at a table of crab eaters 'cos they is quiet.

    (love your site and its freshness)

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