Cooking For Engineers

[Dilbert]

Backstory:

for a very long time I tried to reproduce the crab cakes we remembered from years back . . .
I call them "upper bay" (Delaware / Chesapeake) crab cakes - because not every area on the east coast does crab cakes the same. and certainly this recipe/method/post does not readily apply to the US west coast which is heavy into dungeness crab. that's a whole different collection of dishes and tastes.

first to note: that inexpensive crab meat sold in supermarkets? it's from Asia, it's a different species of crab!
swimming / asian / south american = Portunus armatus, formerly Portunus pelagicus
and it does _not_ taste the same.

USA east coast blue claw crab is Callinectes sapidus
all companies list the origin, some companies are honest enough to list the species on the container.
note that the natural range of the blue claw crab extends to South America.
I have not tried brands listed from South America, but why not?

We have several local, but seasonal, sources for Chesapeake Bay crab, picked on (the local islands / towns) packed in plastic tubs. altho it is steamed/cooked, I don't think it is processed to the 'pasteurized' stage because the shelf life is less than big name commerically canned stuff. it's the only stuff I will pay that kind of $/pound for.

WayBack Story
prior attempts at crab cakes documented here:
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3542

Today's Cakes

being not happy with any recipes found, I finally opted to develop my own recipe. what I found is:
simple / purist is best. tens of herb/spice/additives just mucks up the works.

this recipe is the old fashioned home style drool on the tablecloth product:
(makes 5 crab cakes @ 4.4 ounces/125g each or 4 crab cakes @ 5.5 ounces/155g each)



1 pound / 450g drained lump crabmeat
(prep note: chop about half the volume to smaller size. this is strictly an issue of combined chunk size to make the crab cakes stick together well)

sprinkle with 1.5 teaspoon / 7.5ml / 8 g Old Bay Seasoning (per pound)
lightly salt & pepper

add 3 ounces / 85g finely diced onion or shallot - fine dice essential

The Additives:
note: optional, not necessary - but they make for interest and pretty
pick none, one or two - do not use "all"
- roasted red peppers diced fine, about 30 g/1 oz per pound of crab meat
- capers
- fresh chives, chopped
- fresh chopped parsely
- minced fresh sweet corn kernels
Things not to Add:
- celery
- fresh sweet pepper
why? these types of ingredients do not cook/soften/adhere quickly and weaken the physical structure of the patty.
End of Additives


toss/fold crab and additives ingredients to mix well.
everything should be evenly mixed/combine before adding the beaten egg to minimize breaking up the crab meat lumps.

add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon / 2.5-5ml creamy horse radish to one large egg and beat well.
(I'm fond of Inglehoffer Thick n' Creamy; fresh style grated can be used - adjust quantities to strength of horse radish)
pour egg mix over crab mixture and fold into crab mixture

the horseraddish is the "secret ingredient" - it adds that unidentifiable zing to the patties that seasonings like cayenne / peppers / etc. just can't manage.

allow to stand 5-10 minutes; check bottom of bowl for standing water/juice, crab meat for wetness.
add panko / bread crumb to dry up liquid. start light - it's easy to add more, difficult to remove.....
I rarely use more than 2-3 fluid ounces / 60-90 ml total

fold into mix; allow to stand 5-10 minutes and check for water on bottom again
add additional breading only enough to soak up free juice/water
test squeeze the mix to ensure it will stick together in a patty.

pan fry on medium heat - 3-4 minutes per side.

[SmartShabby]

I am going to try this recipe this weekend. Thanks a lot for sharing