Maryland Crab Cakes

I have to confess, that while I love crab, that I don’t really care for crab cakes.  Most are too mushy, too dry, or too fishy tasting or filled with too much breading, much of the time.  The secret is to brown nicely in a non-stick or cast iron skillet, at low temperature, allowing the moisture to come out, but stopping the cooking before they become dry.

1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, preferably freshly picked backfin Blue crab meat

1/2 c. crushed saltine crackers, Ritz crackers, breadcrumbs, or panko (I like to mix a bit of each)

1 egg beaten

2 T. mayonnaise, preferably Duke’s for authentic Eastern richness and taste

1 t. Dijon mustard

1/4 t. Worcestershire

1/2 t. Old Bay seasoning, J.O. Spice, Emeril’s Essence, or simply a mix of cayenne and/or paprika

French sea salt

1/4 c. tbsp vegetable oil, olive oil, grape seed oil or lard

clarified butter

Preparation:

1. Carefully check the crab meat for any cartilage. Put meat in a bowl and set it aside.
2. Crush the crackers very fine or use Panko or bread crumbs and mix with all the other ingredients. Gently fold in the crab. Only fold in often enough to combine ingredients. You don’t want to break up the crab. Shape into 6-8 crab cakes, and refrigerate for 20-60 minutes.
3. Heat about the oil or lard in a non-stick frying pan or cast iron skillet. Sauté until golden brown on each side. This will only take about 3-5 minutes per side.  Garnish with tartar sauce, remoulade, jalapeno jelly, cilantro-jalapeno sauce, or simply with a squeeze of lemon.  I like to top them with a teaspoon of clarified butter for extra richness.

NOTE-Take the shells and bodies and reduce down in a couple quarts of water for an hour with some old bay, to make a nice seafood stock for later use.