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mmmm, crab cakes

post #1 of 10
8/3/03 at 7:42am
Thread Starter 
hello all,,, i just got finnished w/ a batch of crab cakes and i am curious how my culinary brothers like theres prepared. i do a maryland style cuz i think louisiana cakes are awful. most places down here just mix crab, bread crumb , too much seasoning and a little egg-- then they are typicaly deep fried,,,,blech. i make a small sauce of mayo, egg,tabasco,worshistichire,old bay,pepper and salt. toss this with my lump, and mix in diced white bread and green onion,, a little bit of japanese bread crumb if needed. serve with remulade and you are in biznes.
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post #2 of 10
8/3/03 at 8:12am
I have done crabcakes many different ways at the multitude of restaurants I have worked at, many of them way too heavy on the binding and filler. Though I don't mind those type deep-fried, I really prefer crabcakes that are mostly crab, have no outside breading and are carefully sauteed. My favorite crabcakes were the ones that we did at City Grill in Atlanta. Jumbo lump crabmeat tossed with red pepper, jalapeno, red onion, celery, Old Bay, salt, pepper 1 cup of mayo per 5# of crabmeat, and just enough breadcrumbs to help the crabmeat barely hold together. These were then carefully sauteed and served on a Corn Chowder flavored with bacon and Old Bay and Grits Spoonbread. Man were they good!!!!
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post #3 of 10
8/3/03 at 12:55pm
Soussweets, type "crab cakes" into this board's search, and you'll get about 20 threads- many on this exact topic. As I recall, there were lots of great recipes and some strong beliefs about what makes an authentic Maryland crab cake!

As for me, they're crab cakes, not bread crumb cakes. The less binder used, the better IMHO! :lips:
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post #4 of 10
8/15/03 at 9:52pm
at the reasturaunt i'm working at we make them this way .

6 eggs , 2/3 cup mayo , juice of 2 lemons , 1 oz worsh , 2 T prepared horse radish , 2 T old bay , 1 T mustard , 1 t cyanne(sp) , 2 T fresh parsley finely chopped , 1 T sugar , 5 cups frsh bread crumbs , 4 # crab meat( we usually use claw meat ). these we grill on the flat top . they're pretty good , but when i make them at home i use lump and cut the bread crumbs by 2/3 , the mayo by half , the eggs by 3 , and the lemon by half . i still grill them as i like them this way . i know of other reasturaunts in the area that do them a couple different ways so it would be hard to say what style is actually local , but the ones we serve are better than average though not the best i've had .
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post #5 of 10
8/16/03 at 7:02pm
Well, in these parts, just north of the Chesapeake Bay, folks take their 'cakes VERY seriously.
Most places use a blend of backfin and claw meat. They also add Old Bay, diced bell pepper, eggs and (too much) bread. Also, they are broiled, fried and pan fried fairly equally.
My recipe that did well in the restaurant I opened is:
1# Backfin, picked free of shell
1# Claw, picked free of shell
1/2 # butter, melted
2 Tablespoons, chopped fresh chives
Salt
Pepper
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoons, fresh lemon juice
1/4 Cup, panko bread crumbs (or lightly toasted white bread crumbs) and 1/4 cup reserved for breading.

Fold everything together and allow it to rest in the refrigerator an hour or so (it helps the melter butter adhere to the crab). I portion them just under 4 ounces and VERY lightly roll in the remaining crumbs. Pan fry in butter, not oil. The butter lends a beautiful flavor to the sweet crab meat. The outside should be a pale beige with little bits of crispy edges around. Remulade is good, but around here we do tartar sauce or cocktail sauce.

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post #6 of 10
8/18/03 at 7:35am
A place I worked in years ago used brandade as the base for their crabcakes. That is, pureed potatoes and cooked salt cod. I don't remember what else went into them besides the brandade and crabmeat, but I do know they were breaded a l'anglaise (flour/egg/bread crumbs).

Another place added sauteed brunoise of red and green bell peppers, jalapenos, and onion, and a little mayo as a binder. Very light coating of panko on the outside.

Both were pan-fried and finished in the oven. No deep-frying.
"Notorious stickler" -- The New York Times, January 4, 2004
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post #7 of 10
8/21/03 at 9:03am

Crab Cakes - simple version

Crab Cakes:

2# Jumbo Lump crab
five whole eggs
2tbls Mealted butter (Unsalted)
2tbls Mayo (Use a good one)
1tbls crushed green peppercorns
chopped celery leaves (from inside of stalks are best)
1/2 bunch chopped chives
2 mint leaves chopped finely
lemon zest -1 lemon worth chopped finely

Mix all *ingredients together gently as not to break the lumps of meat, season with salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to stand in the fridge for 30 mintues. *Add chopped herbs last to preserve thier flavor, use some as a garnish after if desired.

Form into loose cakes and saute in light canola oil until browned and set up enough to flip over. Gently press the mixture flat into small rounds and continue to cook until heated through and browned on both sides.

Serve with saffron aioli:

1 peeled potato - boiled until fork tender
2cloves fresh garlic
pinch of saffron
salt and pepper
evoo - extra virgin olive oil
lemon

place potato in blender or processor, add garlic, saffron, salt, pepper, and lemon. Pulse in olive oil until it begins to blend freely, slowly add oil to form a sauce. Can be refigerated over night and used as a garnish or sauce.

Good luck

Let me know what you think.

We make these for small parties and cocktail gatherings, they can be made from 1/2 oz. to 4 ounces if desired.
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post #8 of 10
8/23/03 at 3:44pm
Recently I had crab and corn pancakes. Pan sauteed tiny white kernals and crabmeat. It wasn't clear what it was bound with and in fact it was barely bound. Mayo maybe? It had no veggies added to it. They were delicate and tasty.
" ...but in the spirit of 'stop, think, there must be a harder way, 'I figured starting from scratch might be more gratifying.'' (Judy Rodgers)
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post #9 of 10
8/23/03 at 5:11pm
Thread Starter 
that sounds really good alexia,,,,,, i must try that. i also love crawfish and corn cakes,,,,,,,,,,,,basicaly the same as crab cakes but they require a bit more binding agent(aka bread crumbs). if you can get ahold of real louisiana crawfish tails i would reccomend anyone to try this variation.
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post #10 of 10
8/27/03 at 9:18am
Sugar in crab cakes......sorry dont get it !
Soussweets, I think that a little shredded & blanched lime or lemon is nice but the flavour mix is endless, however what it must have is CRAB brown & white, & chunky white at that. I find if you double crumb them you can lock in that chunky goodness & get a wonderfully crispy shell outside.
mmmmmmm my fishmongers got some Cornish crab fresh from the boats, see ya im off to get a big cock crab TEEHEE !
champagne for my bad friends
& bad pain for my cham friends
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