Jamaican Chef Ajeen Beckford Crab Cakes Recipes

THE BEST CRAB CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• For the crab cakes: Gently fold together the crabmeat, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, chives, Dijon mustard, seafood seasoning, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper and the juice and zest of one lemon in a large bowl. Refrigerate the crab mixture for 15 minutes to firm up; this allows the breadcrumbs to absorb some of the liquid, helping the crab cakes bind together.
• Meanwhile, make the tartar sauce: Combine the mayonnaise, dill pickles, capers, chives, zest and juice of 1 lemon in a medium bowl and mix until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Scoop heaping half cups of the crab mixture and pat into 2 1/2-inch wide patties. Lightly press them together so they do not fall apart while cooking. You should have 8 patties.
• Heat 3 tablespoons unsalted butter and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the crab cakes to the pan and cook until golden, about 2 minutes, then flip using a flat metal spatula. Continue to cook until lightly golden, about 1 1/2 minutes then transfer the pan to the oven. Cook until the crab cakes are completely heated through, about 10 minutes.
• Serve the crab cakes with the tartar sauce and lemon wedges.

JAMAICAN CHEF AJEEN BECKFORD CRAB CAKES

Steps:

• Keep the crab meat lumps as large as possible.
• Place the cram in a pot and reduce by ½. Chill well.
• Sauté the peppers in a little clarified butte. Add the scallion and sweat briefly.
• Combine all of the above with the balance of the ingredients. NOTE: only about 3oz of the breadcrumbs will be used at this stage.
• Using a mold form the cakes.
• Place the cakes in the rest of the breadcrumbs. Press lightly. Reshape if necessary.
• Fry the cakes in clarified butter until golden brown. Turn only once. Drain on paper towel.

BROWN RICE CRAB CAKES

Steps:

• For the crab cakes: In a large bowl, combine the crabmeat, rice, mayonnaise, scallions, Dijon, tarragon, seafood seasoning, egg and lemon zest and juice. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs and stir them in. You should be able to make a crab cake that just holds together but is still a bit wet. If the mixture is too wet to hold together (and it might be, depending on how wet the crab and cooked rice are), stir in up to 1/4 cup more breadcrumbs.
• Using a small ice-cream scoop or tablespoon measure, scoop out the mixture by heaping tablespoons, then form each into a small cake and place the cakes on a sheet stray. Refrigerate for 1 hour to firm them up.
• Heat the canola oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet and preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Spread about 1 cup breadcrumbs on a plate and lightly dredge the crab cakes in the breadcrumbs. Working in two batches, fry the crab cakes until golden on both sides and heated through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain the first batch on paper towels and keep them warm in the oven while you cook the second batch. Season the crab cakes with salt.
• For the aioli: Combine the mayonnaise, tarragon, basil, dill, lemon zest and juice. Season with salt.
• For serving: Serve the crab cakes alongside the aioli or place a dollop of aioli on each. Serve with lemon wedges.

AJEEN BECKFORD LAHMA BI AJEEN

Steps:

• Mix all dough ingredients well. Knead for a few moments. Set aside to rest while preparing filling. Mix all the filling ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400°F
• Since you will be preparing a large number of these, it makes sense to work on a large, clean surface. The kitchen table is perfect. Roll half the dough to 1/8 inch thickness on a clean table. Use a glass, 2-2.5 inches in diameter to cut circles of dough. Place these circles on a well oiled baking sheet. Work the remaining dough into a ball, and roll it out to cut more circles. Keep combining the circle cutouts until you have used all the dough. Place 1.5 teaspoons filling on each circle. With a fork, carefully smooth filling to the edge of the circle. It's fine for the lahma bi ajeen to touch each other in the pan, but they cannot overlap.
• Bake for about 20 minutes, or until dough is just firm but not crisp.
• Serve with tehina and soup or salad for a first course.

CHEF JOHN'S CRAB CAKES

Steps:

• Mix saltine crackers, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, seafood seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, egg, salt, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl.
• Stir in crabmeat until mixture is combined but still chunky. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Sprinkle breadcrumbs on a plate.
• Shape chilled crab mixture into 4 small thick patties; coat completely with bread crumbs.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium-heat; cook crab cakes until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.

JAMAICAN CHEF AJEEN BECKFORD BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Combine the beans and stock and bring to a simmer, covered, for 2 hours.
• Remove half of the beans from the pot. Puree and then return to the pot.
• Add the remaining ingredients and simmer, covered for 1 hour.
• Serve with cilantro sour cream.

CRAB CAKES

Steps:

• Heat the broiler to 500 degrees (or its highest setting). On your oven's highest rack, broil all the bread slices on a baking sheet for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden and crisp but not burned. Flip all the slices over and broil for another 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the broiler off and allow the bread to crisp in the oven until totally dry, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove the bread from the oven and let cool. Using a box grater or rolling pin, coarsely grate and crush the bread slices into bread crumbs (or, pulse them in a food processor). The crumbs should look and feel like sand; you should get about 4 cups. Set the bread crumbs aside.
• In a large cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Pour the butter and onion into a large bowl. Whisk the flour into the melted butter and onion, then slowly whisk in the milk to make a creamy sauce. Once the sauce is smooth, whisk in the eggs, lemon juice, vinegar and mace.
• Add the crab meat to the cream sauce and mix lightly with a fork; don't break up the pieces of crab meat. Gently fold in just enough of the bread crumbs so that the mixture holds together (about 2 1/2 cups). Divide the crab mixture into 12 equal portions, setting them on a baking sheet as you go. They should be thick rounds - about the size of the palm of your hand, and roughly 1 1/2 inches thick.
• Using your hand, take a scoop of the toasted bread crumbs and coat each crab cake.
• Wipe out the skillet and heat the oil over high. Once the oil is hot, place a few of the crab cakes in the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until browned and cooked through. Place the cooked crab cakes on a paper towel to drain. Working in batches, cook the remaining crab cakes, adding more oil as needed.
• Serve crab cakes immediately, or set aside in a warm oven (see Tip) while you cook the remaining crab cakes.

CARIBBEAN CRAB CAKES

Steps:

• In a small pan on medium high heat, melt 1 Tbsp of the butter and add the chopped onion and 1 tsp of the Garlic Salt. Cook until the onions become translucent. Set aside and allow to cool.
• In a large bowl, mix together the crab meat, green onion, 1/3 Cup White Cheddar crackers, mayonnaise, remaining garlic salt, pepper, soy sauce, dijon mustard, pickle juice, lime juice, cilantro and egg and form into small patties (about the size of the palm of your hand).
• Mix together the flour and remaining 1 cup of white cheddar crackers and pour onto a large dish or plate. Lightly pat the crab cakes in the mixture on each side and place onto a baking sheet (covered with a piece of parchment or wax paper).
• Refrigerate the cakes for 1 hour.
• Into a large skillet on medium heat, pour the canola oil and remaining butter.
• After the butter melts and the oil is hot, place the crab cakes into the oil and allow to cook (about 5 minutes each side) or until golden brown. Serve.

WILD RICE CRAB CAKES

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in medium saucepan.
• Add wild rice; cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour or until tender.
• Combine cooked rice with remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.
• Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions, shaping into a 1 inch thick patty.
• Heat several teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• Add patties (they may not all fit) and cook 4 minutes on each side, or until golden.