Sign Up for the Recipe Publishing Newsletter
How to Make Crab Cakes
Many regions of the United States are famous for their crab cakes, but Maryland has got to be the best known of them all. Other areas known for crab cakes include the Gulf coast, the Mid-Atlantic States, northern California, and the Pacific Northwest. Any type of crab meat can be used in a crab cake, though the blue crab and the Dungeness crab are the varieties most frequently used.
Crab cakes are made of lump crab meat, bread crumbs, egg, seasonings, and occasionally other ingredients like onions or peppers. They may be fried, broiled, grilled, or baked. The important components for making crab cakes include the crab, of course, a starch to give the cakes some body, a moistening agent to keep the inside of the crab cakes tender, a binder to hold everything together, and seasonings to add flavor. The most important thing you can do is get the best crab you can afford.
Traditionally, the crab meat used in crab cakes comes from the body of the crab. You want to keep it in lumps as much as possible to keep the texture of the crab. You want to make sure there are no shell fragments mixed in; this is one of the reasons fresh crab works better in crab cakes than canned crab. Canned crab often has small fragments in it and it can be difficult to remove them all. Canned crab also has a fishier taste than fresh crab, which comes through in your crab cakes.
Bread crumbs are most frequently used as the starch, but you can also use mashed potatoes, crackers, or masa flour. The moistening agent can be milk, melted butter, cream, mayonnaise, or eggs. Eggs are often used because not only are they moist, they also bind the ingredients together very well. Common choices for flavoring include Worcestershire sauce, onion, or mustard. Herbs like dill, parsley, and celery are good for flavor and texture.
Once you have all the ingredients mixed together, you want to gently form the mixture into small cakes. Try not to be too hard with them; you do not want to compact them too much. Try not to make them too thick. Panko crumbs make a nice outer coating because they give a nice, light crisp covering, though you can also use fine bread crumbs. Just dredge the crab cakes gently in the bread crumbs before cooking. Let the crab cakes chill for at least a half hour before you cook them. This helps them to stay together so they do not crumble while they cook.
Once your crab cakes are cooked, you can serve them as is or with a sauce. They go great with tartar sauce, chipotle sauce or a crab cake sauce made with mayonnaise, sour cream, salsa, cottage cheese, yogurt, and lemon. Serve up your delicious crab cakes on a bed of salad greens. Place the sauce on them or in a small dish on the side to be used at each person's discretion.
