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Crab Cakes

Source of Recipe

From "Talking with My Mouth Full" by Bonny Wolf


Recipe Introduction

"I use only lump crabmeat for crab cakes. This is the crème de la crab—big, white lumps of sweet crabmeat. I also sauté or broil but never deep fry. All these things, of course, are a matter of personal preference. I try to use as little of the binding ingredients as possible so you taste mostly crab. You have to do it by feel. After you form the cakes, put them on wax paper in a pie plate or cookie sheet and refrigerate for an hour or so; they hold their shape better when cooked. Pick over the crab carefully looking for bits of shell. Be careful not to tear apart the lumps."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 pound lump crabmeat
â—¦ 1 large egg
â—¦ 1 to 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
â—¦ 1 teaspoon dry yellow mustard
â—¦ 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
â—¦ Dash of Tabasco or other hot sauce
â—¦ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
â—¦ 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup fine dry bread crumbs
â—¦ 1 ½ tablespoons butter
â—¦ 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil


Recipe

Put the crabmeat in a bowl and pick over, looking for shell.
In a small bowl, mix the egg, 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and parsley. Add more mayonnaise if absolutely necessary.

Sprinkle some of the bread crumbs over the crab and add the egg mixture. Use only as much of the bread crumbs as you need to bind the mixture together. Mix the ingredients gently so you don't break up the lumps of crab. If it doesn't seem firm enough, add a few more bread crumbs. Form into four loose patties that can hold their shape. Place on waxed paper and refrigerate for an hour or more.

In a large skillet, melt the butter and olive oil and gently sauté the patties until golden brown on each side.

Makes 4 servings