Perhaps you don’t want to hear about turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce until next year. So let’s talk about crab cakes, another quintessentially American dish – and a quite festive one, too. Families on both coasts include crab cakes in their Christmas menu.
Crab cakes originated in the Chesapeake Bay region and may have Native American roots. The bay is the largest estuary in the U.S. and the home to many types of crab, among which blue crab, with its sweet delicate flavor, is most coveted.
The West Coast has its equivalent. California crab cakes typically use the meat of dungeness crab. It is seasoned and served differently – Old Bay, fries and coleslaw in the Mid-Atlantic, mango salsa and a crunchy slaw bedding on Fisherman’s Wharf.
At Old Fisherman’s Grotto, the crab cakes are remarkable. The lumps of crab meat are noticeable and breading is kept to the minimum, but let’s be frank – a lonely crab cake appetizer can painfully sharpen one’s appetite. Fortunately, this little plump of heaven comes with bread, the view and an exquisite, old-fashioned decor.
But far too often at restaurants, the patties are plumped with breading and served drowning in a remoulade-like pond. A solution? Learn to make crab cakes at home.
Traditional Mid-Atlantic crab cakes are as simple as crab meat, mayonnaise and optional soft bread, with little to no filler as much meat as possible. Other breading options are panko or cracker crumbs. Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard or even the Old Bay seasoning are optional. Tartar sauce is often preferred to the remoulade sauce.
Should the crab cakes be fried or baked? Or perhaps gently sauteed or broiled, for maximum delicacy.
California crab cakes typically have more diverse seasoning and a heavier patina. Ingredients in circulation are bell pepper, chives, tarragon, scallion, garlic and cayenne, with a dab of sour cream, Mornay sauce or even hot sauce. Lemon and parsley are popular on both coasts. But avoid capers, please.
Below is a recipe from Clyde’s of Reston, Virginia, as well as from a Monterey favorite, Old Fisherman’s Grotto.
Clyde’s Crab Cakes
(serves two)
Ingredients
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon water
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
4 saltine crackers
Directions
Pick the crab meat over to remove excess shells and cartilage. Combine the mayo, Old Bay, parsley, mustard and water until smooth. Add the mayo mixture to the crab meat and mix, being careful not to break up the lumps of crab meat. With your hands, break up the saltines into crumbs and mix into the crab mixture. Form into four patties and pan-fry, or broil the cakes until golden brown.
Old Fisherman’s Grotto Crab Cakes
(serves eight)
Ingredients
1 pound dungeness crab meat
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup cream
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 tablespoon green onion, diced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon each: black pepper, granulated garlic and onion
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2-6 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
Directions
Mix the crab meat, red bell pepper, green onion and parsley in a bowl. Break any large lumps of crab meat into smaller sizes. Add enough bread crumbs to absorb the liquid from the crab meat.
Whisk the eggs, mayonnaise, cream and seasoning in a bowl and fold into the crab meat mixture, adjusting panko and cream to correct the amount of moisture – it should not be too dry or too wet and should hold together. Shape the mixture into small cakes and roll in bread crumbs to coat completely. Place on a plate, refrigerate and allow to chill for one hour. Heat butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the crab cakes to hot butter, cooking for 2 to 5 minutes on each side until crisp and golden. Add more oil as needed. Keep the cakes warm until ready to serve.