Remember the good old days when you could afford a bushel of crabs? And when there were leftovers from the crab feast you hosted, you spent part of the next evening reminiscing about that great party while you picked the "extras" of Maryland's favorite crustaceans to make good stuff out of the meat?

Deviled crab, maybe. Or crab salad. Or, yes, most everyone's top choice for using up crab feast leftovers: crab cakes.

We've done our fair share of crab-cake eating, both on the East Coast and on the West. Maryland-style, using meat from Maryland-steamed, and spiced, crabs, is still the best. But sometimes a change of pace -- for the family chef as well as the family -- can be a good thing.

And herein lies our topic du jour. Crab cakes, with a twist.

But first...

Say this is your first foray into crab cake making. Well, here's one recipe for crab cakes, out of hundreds of different ones that Free State cooks consider the "best." This one comes from the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Yes, it calls for crumbs, which serve as a binder, but also help make the crab meat go further.

One crab cake culinary secret many cooks have is to make fresh bread crumbs from stale French bread (crusts removed). You can use the food processor, although an old-fashioned meat grinder works best. If using the processor, don't overdo the pulsing; the bread crumbs should be fairly coarse.

Another secret most every top "chef" has is to handle the cakes as little as possible before cooking. This is especially true if you're using lump, or even backfin crab meat.

And still another is to chill them before cooking, especially if you treat them to a bread crumb coating (see next recipe).

If you're really into experimenting, try coating those crab cakes with finely crushed potato chips instead of your homemade bread crumbs. Then cook as suggested. Be sure to drain on paper towels before serving.

Maryland Crab Cakes

1 pound Maryland crab meat (fresh or pasteurized), cartilage removed, of course

1/2 cup cracker crumbs (e.g. saltines) or bread crumbs (if using fresh bread, coarse crumbs, use at least 1 cup)

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon seafood seasoning, e.g. Old Bay

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dry mustard

In a bowl, mix together eggs (beaten), mayonnaise, seafood seasoning, white pepper, Worcestershire and dry mustard. Add crab meat and mix well, but very gently. Add just enough cracker crumbs or bread crumbs to bind the ingredients together, mixing very, very gently. Shape into 6 crab cakes.

In a large, non-stick skillet, over medium-high, sauté cakes in a little vegetable oil for about 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Or, brush cakes with a bit of melted butter and broil about 5 inches from heat source about 3 minutes per side. Makes about 6 crab cakes.

Dilly cakes

This recipe uses many of the same ingredients as the "classic," but adds some fresh scallion and dill, which meld nicely with the crab and add a little extra flavor to non-spiced steamed crab (e.g. store-bought), either fresh or pasteurized.

With this method, we use some of the bread crumbs to coat the cakes for extra brown-ability and crispness.

1 pound crab meat (good-quality claw meat is OK to use)

3 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs, from stale, crustless French bread, divided

2 small scallions, chopped

3 tablespoons chopped, fresh dill

1 1/2 teaspoons seafood seasoning

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 teaspoons grainy (country-style) Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 large egg, beaten to blend

About 4 tablespoons butter, for cooking

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the bread crumbs, scallions, dill and seafood seasonings. Add mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice and pepper. Stir in egg. Gently stir in crab meat just to blend/distribute mixture evenly.

Place remaining 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs on a piece of wax paper. Divide crab mixture into eighths and form into thick cakes. Dust each cake on both sides in some of the bread crumbs and place on a baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Melt butter in a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. In 2 batches, sauté crab cakes until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Serve hot. Makes 8 cakes.

Asian crab cakes

Here's a way you can use leftover (or even "new") crab meat and leftover cooked shrimp. The recipe makes about 8 smallish cakes that can be used as a first course for a dinner party. Or make 4 to 6 to use as the main attraction.

Serve the main-course cakes with rice or noodles drizzled with a bit of sesame oil and some rice wine vinegar. Offer some snow peas, maybe some mango slices. As a dunk, offer some sweet-spicy chili sauce.

In keeping with our Asian theme, we use peanut oil to fry the cakes. A bit higher in fat, but by far the best oil for frying.

About 2/3 cup mayonnaise, divided

3 tablespoons chopped, fresh cilantro

4 teaspoons peeled, chopped fresh ginger

1 tablespoon bottled Thai fish sauce (nam pla) or light soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon (or less) hot red pepper flakes

8 ounces claw crab meat, cartilage removed

8 ounces cooked shrimp, finely chopped

About 3 cups fresh bread crumbs, from stale, crustless French bread, divided

Peanut oil, for frying

In large bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the mayonnaise, cilantro, ginger, fish sauce/nam pla and hot red pepper flakes. Add 1 cup of the bread crumbs and stir gently. Add crab meat and shrimp, blending gently. Add more mayonnaise, if needed to bind everything together.

Place remaining bread crumbs on wax paper. Divide crab/shrimp mixture into 8 equal parts and form into balls. Gently press balls into bread crumbs, coating all over and flattening slightly (cakes will be about 2 1/2 inches in diameter). Remove formed cakes to a baking sheet, cover and chill about 30 minutes.

In a large, heavy, non-stick skillet, over medium, heat about 3 tablespoons peanut oil. Add cakes, in batches, and sauté until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Serve as suggested. Makes 4 or more servings, depending ...

Getting saucy

Another way to vary your crab cakes is to serve them with something other than the tartar sauce, or the seafood cocktail sauce you usually offer. Consider these crab-cake accompaniments.

P.S. If you've never made your own tartar sauce, it's time you did. Simply combine mayonnaise with slightly drained sweet pickle relish. Add some lemon juice, if you feel you need it.

Red chili mayonnaise

1 cup mayonnaise

4 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce (Asian food section, or market)

4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Combine ingredients, taste for seasonings, cover and chill until serving time. Makes an ample 1 cup.

Pinot grigio cream sauce

Not for the fat-conscious, but lovely when entertaining.

1 3/4 cups pinot grigio or other dry white wine

1/3 cup chopped shallots

1 cup whipping cream

2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon, plus sprigs, for garnish (or use flat-leaf parsley)

In a heavy, medium pot, over medium-high, boil wine and shallots until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes. Add cream and boil until liquid is reduced to sauce consistency, about 10 more minutes. Stir now and then. Remove from heat. Stir in tarragon.

When ready to serve crab cakes, plate the cakes and spoon a bit of the sauce around them. Garnish with tarragon sprigs. Makes enough for 6 or more servings.

user comments (0)