Crab Cakes Yummmmm

If you may start to notice most of my cooking decisions center around what is on sale at the supermarket. Well lo and behold lump crab meat was on sale this week, so I thought why not try my hand at crab cakes. Where ever we go and it's on the menu you best believe its going to wind up on my plate. I figured it couldn't be too much different than salmon cakes which I make all the time and which was a staple recipe in my house while growing up.

I pulled out my trusty reliable cookbooks and I decided to go with the recipe from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything since right off the bat he said "I like crab cakes that are mostly crab and seasonings with a minimum of bread crumbs." That's what I'm talking about. A man after my own liking. All the other recipes relied heavily on bread crumbs (even Ms. Martha) which is a no-no in my book.

Overall I was really quite pleased with the results (great texture and flavoring) and the ease of the recipe, and will definitely be making them again as soon as crab goes back on sale ;)

Crab Cakes (modified from How to Cook Everything)

Makes 4 cakes (I got 5 out of the recipe)

• 1 pound of fresh lump crabmeat
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup minced scallion 
• 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon of mustard (I used Kelchner's hot mustard which has horseradish since I wanted a bit of a kick but the traditional choice is dijon)
• Fresh cut parsley (I added about 1/4 cup)
• Dill (to taste)
• Old Bay seasoning (to taste)
• Kosher salt and pepper (to taste)
• 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs, or as needed
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of butter (or use oil)

Mix together the crabmeat, egg, pepper, scallion, mayonnaise, mustard, and seasonings (dill, old bay, salt, pepper, & parsley).  Add sufficient bread crumbs to bind the mixture just enough to form into cakes, start with 2 tablespoons and use more if you need it. (I had to roughly 4 tablespoons to get it to a consistency I felt was good enough).

Refrigerate the mixture till ready to cook (at least 30 minutes or more)

Season the flour with salt, pepper, and Old Bay. Preheat a large skillet (non-stick) over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add oil and butter and heat until butter foam subsides. Shape crabmeat mixture into cakes, dredge in flour, and cook adjusting the heat as necessary and turning very gently once until golden brown on both sides. Total cook time is about 10 minutes.

I like to eat mine with tarter and cocktail sauce (most people think that is very weird but I love it).