Crab Cakes

I love crab cakes and I have tried many different recipes for them that I gleaned off the Internet.

I moved to the Seattle area about a year ago. Ray's Boat House serves a really good crabcake. I asked the Chef for the recipe and he mailed it to me. Since then, I have tried making them at home. They turned out really great. However, they are really expensive to make. Fresh crab meat sells for $25.00 lb. here.

From a friend, I found out that Costco carries some pre-formed frozen crabcakes from Ocean Beauty. They are almost as good as the ones from Ray's Boat House. And, they are realively inexpensive...8 3oz. cakes for $12.89.

Just passing this along to everybody just in case Costco is selling these all over the country. I your Costco doesn't have them, perhaps you can get them to order them in. :Smile:

Hi Crudeau: I was looking at Costco Online earlier and noticed that they are selling a package of 48 mini crab cakes, 1/2 oz each for $29.99. That sounds like a good deal as well. I have yet to try Costco's crab cakes (I normally make my own) but I'm tempted...

One more thing . . . you got me thinking about my favorite crab cakes, and believe it or not, the best I've tasted were NOT on the East Coast, but in Wisconsin! I had the crab cake appetizer years ago at The Immigrant Room of The American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin. I still remember them. Sublime.

Emary:

The Costco crabcakes I was talking about are produced by Ocean Beauty. Am not familiar with the minis, so can't speak about their taste and quality. If they are the Ocean Beauty brand they should be good too.

[cape chef]

sometimes you need convenience, and all the time we need to be aware of the money we spend, But!! I will always make my own crab cakes....there just is no comparison.
crab cakes are one of those things when done right and the crab is fresh and sweet....you just can't substitute.You can blend your jumbo lump with Maine crab meat, or you can buy jumbo lump pasteurized, it is 3 or 4 dollars less a #. I would stay away from snow crab taste like hay and is treated.
The Maine crab in Jonah Crab which is quite nice. If this thread continues I will give a couple recipes
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Cape,

Yeah, I prefer my own crabcakes too, but their is something to be said for convenience.

Please post your recipes. I am always looking for new ones to try. Still looking for the "perfect" crabcake.

Hey Cape Chef , I would sure like to see some of your recipes on this .

I adore crabcakes but hate the religious overtones "gourmets" want to add. The crabcake is the indigenous food of waterman. Just like boullibaise is what the fishermen had left after they sold the top dollar catch.
I have a country house on the Chesapeake Bay on Tilghman Island which is the largest producer of seafood -- mostly eels, oysters, crabs -- in Talbot County and in most of the Bay area.
As I meet the older residents, I have come to appreciate the disappearing food traditions of the area. Fancy-dancy cooks always say "backfin" or "lump" crabmeat. You pay an enormous premium for these grades. The locals make fabulous cakes from what is usually called "special" which is a mix of everything slightly less than lump or backfin. The watermen make the highest profit from those so they sell them -- they eat the other grade at home.
I have come to appreciate these as the really authentic crabcake and they are great.
Costco has canned pasturized crabmeat (Philips) at about $14/lb and it makes a great crabcake.
The secret to the best crabcake is a light hand -- don't overwork the meat or they willbe heavy.
PS: Machine-picked crabmeat is dreadful. A heavy, heavy saline solution is used to separate the crushed shell from the meat and the result is inedible. Never a good value!

[cape chef]

Margaret, Just for the record "backfin" or "jumbo" Is not a term coined by fancy-dancy cooks, It is the term used to clarify the grade and area on which the crab was removed. It is used by the seafood industry. And there is a very big difference between jumbo lump and backfin. I would use backfin in crab cakes. but not for a seafood cocktail.Just a example. I do agree with all my heart that crab cakes are made like **** in many restaurants and a gentle hand is very important as you said.Many Chefs and cooks do there menu copy according to the area and ingredients in a product.
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[cookM]

I too would love to see the crabcake recipe. What do y'all like to eat with your crabcakes? My former chef would make this awesome peanut slaw; he would also put some aioli on the side. It rocked.

At the risk of sounding a bit like a crab cake elitist (and having tried crab cakes in a number of different areas), Baltimore and the Eastern Shore of Md. has the best anywhere. The simpler the better, as Margaret implies. This is my favorite recipe:

1 large egg
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard, or to taste
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning (required!)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound backfin or lump crab meat, picked over
3/4 cup finely crushed Saltines (about 20 crackers)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a large bowl whisk together the egg, the mayonnaise, the mustard, the parsley, the Old Bay Seasoning, the pepper, and the salt, add the crab meat and 1/4 cup of the Saltines, and toss the mixture gently. Spread the remaining 1/2 cup Saltines on a plate, form the crab mixture with a 1/3-cup measure gently into eight 3/4-inch-thick patties, and coat the top and bottoms of each patty carefully with the Saltines, transferring the crab cakes as they are formed to a sheet of wax paper. In a large skillet heat the oil over moderately high heat until hot and sauté the crab cakes, in batches if necessary, for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until they are golden, transferring them as they are cooked to a heated platter. These can also be broiled until they reach the same lovely golden state.

Most Marylanders take their crab cakes VERY seriously - somewhat like a religious experience! French fries and coleslaw are the traditional sides.

Hey, Margaret, my family is from Tilghman's Island! My grandfather was the first of the Harrisons to immigrate to Baltimore . . .

I had an aunt and uncle that lived in Crisfield MD. I only visited there once a long time ago, but I know Crisfield was right in the heart of the oyster and crab area.

CapeChef, I am aware of the grading system for crabmeat -- I live surrounded by people who make their living from the water, remember? My comment was directed at those who specify lumb or backfin for recipes where another grade is perfectly useful and possibly preferable.
I often use lump or backfin when I am feeling rich and want to serve something really special -- and I do as little as possible to it to emphasize the extraordinary texture and sweetness. Something like a Crabmeat Ravigote, in a salad with avocado, or a light Imperial (but that dish is often destroyed by a heavy hand). I always think of that grade as similar to caviar -- a stand-alone with simple garnish to emphasize its virtues.

MaryeO, I know lots of Harrisons, probably half your relatives -- including Buddy from whom I buy oysters and rockfish.
Your recipe for crabcakes is really good -- and very authentic. Most of the locals however don't seem to use lump crab anymore. Guess it's gotten too expensive for them.
When we make them for the Tilghman Island Seafood Festival or Tilghman Island Day, we use a recipe very close to yours but with "special" crabmeat. We make about 4000 -5000 crabcakes and sell every one.
By the way, the coleslaw at Harrison's restaurant is great. I pried the recipe out of one of your cousins (who shall remain nameless) and my family and guests love it. I go to the restaurant sometime and get a double side of it. Hope you have the recipe. If you don't, ask your Harrison relatives.

[shroomgirl]

Maryeo good recipe, I add sauteed minced celery and red bell pepper....probably sacriledge but.....