Email to Cat      

Crab Cakes: Zesty Crab Cakes

Source of Recipe

From "Martha's American Food" by Martha Stewart


Recipe Introduction

"Crab cakes started out as a measure of thrift—although crabs were plentiful in the Chesapeake Bay, their meat was so difficult to remove from the shell that cooks would routinely stretch their tiny yields with breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs and eggs. Today, thanks to readily available tinned crabmeat and shipments of frozen-fresh, you are likely to find crab cakes all over the country. But Maryland—especially Baltimore, where locals will argue over who makes the best version—reigns supreme as the crab cake capital (though some parts of Virginia merit honorable mention). There, the specialty is the 'Boardwalk,' or fried crab cake."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ ¼ cup yellow cornmeal
â—¦ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
â—¦ 2 large eggs
â—¦ 3 tablespoons sour cream
â—¦ 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
â—¦ 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus wedges for serving
â—¦ ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
â—¦ ½ teaspoon paprika
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon cayenne
â—¦ ½ teaspoon coarse salt
â—¦ 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
â—¦ 3 hot pickled peppers, such as Peppadew, coarsely chopped
â—¦ ¾ cup plain fresh breadcrumbs
â—¦ ¼ cup neutral-tasting oil, such as safflower


Recipe

Line a baking sheet with parchment; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cornmeal. Whisk together butter, eggs, sour cream, parsley, lemon juice, Worcestershire, paprika, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl. Gently mix in crabmeat, peppers, and breadcrumbs.

For each crab cake, shape â…” cup crab mixture into a patty; place on prepared sheet. Sprinkle patties with remaining 2 tablespoons cornmeal, dividing evenly. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Working in batches, cook crab cakes until golden brown and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges.

Serves 4