Crab Cakes Recipe

I’m so behind on posting that I don’t even remember when we made these crab cakes. It must have been at least a month ago. We had 2 cans of lump crabmeat in our pantry that I wanted to use up so I figured I would try yet another crab cake recipe. This is the third recipe for crab cakes that we’ve tried in the past 6 months or so and I think it’s my favorite. These held together well and I think chilling them before frying them really helped. I guess that fact is really my main reason for saying this is my favorite recipe (it’s a pain to fry up crab cakes when they’re falling apart all over the pan when you flip them). That’s not to say these weren’t tasty, because they were but generally speaking, I’m still just not a huge fan of crab cakes. I would definitely choose any number of other entrees over crab cakes.

Also, I should make a note about bread crumbs. You can definitely use the ones you buy premade at the grocery store but it’s fun to make your own sometimes! To make dried bread crumbs, you simply slice your bread up, lay it on a baking sheet and dry it out in the oven. I dried mine with the oven set on 175 F. Once the bread is completely dried, take it out and let it cool. Then all you have to do is tear the bread into chunks and throw it into your food processor. Leftover bread crumbs can be transferred to a ziploc bag and stored in the freezer for another use!

By Tracey

Crab Cakes

from Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh crabmeat
4 scallions, green parts only, minced (about 1/2 cup) (I omitted these)
4 teaspoons minced fresh herbs, such as cilantro, dill, basil or parsley leaves
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
2-4 tablespoons plain dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 egg white
salt and pepper
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

Gently fold the crabmeat, scallions, herbs, Old Bay, 2 tablespoons bread crumbs, mayonnaise, and mustard together in a medium bowl, being careful not to break up the lumps of crab. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Carefully fold in the egg white with a rubber spatula until the mixture just holds together, adding the remaining bread crumbs as needed.

Divide the crab mixture into 4 portions and shape each into a round cake, about 3 inches across and 1 1/2 inches high. Arrange on a baking sheet lined with waxed or parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes. (The crab cakes can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

Spread the flour in a shallow dish. Lightly dredge the crab cakes in the flour and shake off the excess. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Gently lay the chilled crab cakes in the skillet and cook until the outsides are crisp and browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Drain the crab cakes briefly on paper towels, and serve with lemon wedges.