The Drunk Chefs Hometown Maryland Crab Cakes Recipes

MARYLAND STYLE CRABCAKES

Steps:

• Even though crab meat is packaged fresh and clean of shell there are always some shell fragments remaining. Open the crab meat, dump into a clean dish, and with scrupulously clean hands, pick through and clean the crabmeat of all shell fragments. Be careful of the delicate nature of such a high quality product and try not to crumble the large lumps of crab. Mix the crabmeat with the sweet peppers, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro leaves, and mayonnaise. Add the seasoning powder, 4 tablespoons of the bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Mix well then refrigerate the mixture for twenty minutes. A cold mix is easier to work with and form into cakes.
• Cover a work surface with waxed paper and sprinkle with half of the remaining bread crumbs. Scoop up and divide the crabmeat into 6 equalsize portions and place each mound on the work space. With the a portion of crab in the palm of one hand pat the crab with the fingers of your other hand into a diskshaped cake approximately 3/4-inch thick. It is important for the crab cakes to be the same thickness so that they will cook uniformly. Pat each cake with the bread crumbs, turning them so they coat evenly on all sides. Refrigerate for at least an hour so that the firm enough to cook and in this way prevent them from crumbling.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Not more than half an hour before you plan to serve the crab cakes add enough oil to cover the bottom of a saute pan. Heat until just before it begins to smoke. Add the crab cakes gently, being careful not to crowd the pan. (Cook them in two batches if necessary.) Turn the cakes and brown the second side. When the crab cakes are well browned to a rich golden on both sides, place on a heat proof platter and into a 375 degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes to ensure that they are fully cooked and hot at the center. Serve with chili mayonnaise and a mango salad.

THE DRUNK CHEF'S HOMETOWN MARYLAND CRAB CAKES

Steps:

• Make these patties 1/2 hour to 1 hour before you want to cook them and let them set up in the fridge covered with a piece of plastic wrap.
• Note that the dried slices of bread ARE going into the mix while the bread crumbs ARE NOT. Right before frying- coat the cakes lightly with the breadcrumbs on each side.
• Gather all your ingredients and 2 large mixing bowls. If you have a large wooden spoon- use that; if not- put it on your shopping list. Mince your onion and chop your parsley. Chop your sliced bread up in small cubes. Beat your egg. Chop your claw meat into 1 square centimeter cubes (or just tear into pieces).
• In one bowl: mix onion, bread, and milk. Then add: mayo, dijon, worcestershire sauce, egg. Mix well.
• Make sure there's no moisture in your second bowl so the seasonings don't stick. In your second bowl: Place your crab meat in bowl. Season evenly with the black pepper, parsley, and Old Bay seasoning.
• Add the seasoned crab meat to the mixture in the first bowl and mix together gently. You paid extra for those big claw portions so don't go smashing them all up when your mixing.
• Form the mixture into crab cakes as big or as small as you like them and place them on something flat that can fit in the fridge ( I use a hard plastic cutting board). Spray the cutting board very lightly with cooking spray to keep the cakes from sticking while in the fridge. Cover with plastic and put in fridge for 1/2 - 1 hour.
• If you are frying your cakes (recommended) I would use Canola Oil in your pan. If you are broiling- I recommend coating the baking sheet with Olive Oil and also drizzling just a little Olive Oil over the tops of your cakes.
• Pour your breadcrumbs on a dinner plate and coat each side of your crab cakes lightly with them.
• Heat the Canola Oil in your pan over a medium-high heat. When the oil starts putting off a little smoke it should be ready. You want to hear a little sizzle when you drop your crab cakes in the pan- that's how you know your oil is at a good frying temperature.
• Once you have your crab cakes in the pan- give them a minute to just sit- undisturbed. After about a minute- gently start shaking your pan- you want to see some movement in the pan to ensure they're not burning. Make sure they're not cooking too fast- if you start to smell a burn coming on- lift the pan off the heat and flip the cakes- reduce heat and return pan to stove.
• The method I use for cooking a perfect crab cake is simple- my fingers. Tilt your pan just enough to move the oil down to one side of the pan- feel around the bottom of one of the cakes at the top of the pan. The cakes are ready to be flipped when they begin to crisp around the bottom edges. If you have more sensitive fingers (like normal people) just simply use a slotted spatula to lift the cakes out of the pan and look at the bottom of the cake- when it's nice and golden-brown you can flip them.
• Don't depend on a timer to cook when pan frying because that's not always reliable. Use your eyes and your fingers.
• Take a big dollop of Tar Tar sauce in the middle of a plate. Take a spoon and push down in the middle of the dollop and lightly spread in circles to make a perfect little bed for your crab cake. Place your crab cake on its bed and serve with your favorite sides.
• I'll add a recipe for Tar Tar sauce sometime soon. For now- just use your favorite.