Background: One of my favorite foods is crabmeat, especially blue claws from the Baltimore area. Every summer they begin to molt and become “soft shells” which are just fabulous. While working and living down by Baltimore I was able to develop an easy crabcake recipe inspired by Andrew Zimmern, which I also use for crab stuffed shrimp, and alongside fried green tomatoes.

Ingredients:

CRABCAKES
8 oz. crab claw or lump meat chopped drained and dried
10 crushed saltine cracker
1 extra-large or 2 small eggs beaten
2 tbsp. homemade mayonnaise
2 chopped green onions
½ tsp. old bay
2 tbsp. grated fresh horseradish
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup corn meal
1 tsp. Worcestershire
1 tsp. Louisiana hot sauce
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp grapeseed oil

SAUCE:
2 tbsp homemade mayonnaise
½ lemon
½ tsp. cardamom crushed
salt and pepper

Steps:

  1. On a flat plate mix the corn meal, panko, old bay then set aside.
  2. For the crab cakes combine the saltines, white parts of the green onions, Old Bay, horseradish, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, Louisiana hot sauce, mayonnaise, and the egg (s) in a large bowl and gently combine. Additional mayo may be required to get the right consistency but use it sparingly. Using a large spoon separate the mixture into 4 “piles’ and roll them into balls of equal size.
  3. Roll the crab balls around in the corn meal panko mixture until well coated.
  4. Heat a large cast iron pan and drop in the butter and oil until it reaches about 350-375 degrees F, then place the balls in the pan and allow to heat for a minute or so, then slowly press them out in the pan using a metal spatula. Allow them to cook o the first side about 3 minutes (watching the heat, then if the bottom looks browned, gently flip over, and heat the other side about 3 more minutes or until browned.
  5. For the sauce mix the homemade mayonnaise with the juice of ½ lemon, and cardamom and mix well- if its too thick add some more lemon juice, then salt and pepper to taste.
  6. I like to have these with corn fritters or fried green tomatoes and drizzle the sauce over both. Garnish with the green pieces of green onion.

Crab Cakes with Fried Green Tomato and Shishito Peppers Crab Cakes With Corn Fritters Crab Cakes Start