You will find crab cakes as appetizers served at high-end fancy restaurants. This is why many individuals are intimated to make them at home. However, there is no reason to be worried about recreating this absolutely delicious seafood dish. With our tried and tested recipe, you can now make crab cakes easily at home and include them in your crab dinner menu for parties. They are easy to make and absolutely yummy. Serve it along with some other favorite seafood dishes of yours and enjoy! Read on to learn all there is to know about making crab cakes at home.
How to Get Good Crab?
The first problem that you will encounter while making crab cakes is the crab meat itself. If you purchase the wrong kind of meat, you won’t be able to achieve the goal of making the best crab cakes. The only kind of meat that works perfectly well for crab cakes is blue crab meat. But do not get the ones you will find in tubs. The already cooked and pasteurized ones. You should get freshly picked crab from the market when you plan to make this dish. Get fresh lump crab meat for the best results. When it is crab season you will be able to fresh crab meat from the meat market easily.
Binder Blues with Crab Cakes
Now comes the binding issue that many people face when making crab cakes. Unlike any other form of ground meat, crab meat does not bind with itself. You can knead, rub and squeeze it all you want in order to make it stick together. But all you will end up with is a pasty mush that will be of no good. To make crab meat stick together you need some sort of un-coagulated protein that will help make the meat stick together. The perfect choice in this situation is an egg. This does not only help add protein to the dish but also some moisture. However, adding just an egg will form a very loose mixture which will make it impossible to turn into cakes and retain its shape. To help you out with the binding situation we have a great solution ahead.
Use Mayonnaise as a Binder
Use mayonnaise! It is the perfect binder when it comes to crab cakes. Moreover, it adds a subtle creaminess to it. But the amazing this about using mayo is that it won’t interfere with the taste of crab meat and let it shine. For those who hate mayo, the good news is that you won’t be able to taste mayo at all. However, if you really want a replacement, then use Greek yogurt instead.
Which Kind of Crab Meat to go for?
The best kind of crab meat to go for is Jumbo lump meat. It’s bright white in color and has excellent taste. Moreover, the bigger chunks taste better than smaller shredded pieces. Lump crab meat is also a good choice as it is a mixture of bigger and smaller pieces of meat. however, whichever kind of meat you opt for, make sure to pick through the meat and get rid of any pieces of shell that you find.
Is Canned Meat Good?
While fresh crab is always the way to go, it can also be very expensive. It’s tricky to remove the meat from the shell and getting it done can cost you more than ready-made canned food. If you want to go for a more affordable option, then you can opt for canned jumbo lump crab meat.
Storing and Preparing Leftovers
You can store the leftover crab cakes for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. However, if you want to preserve them for an extended amount of them then freezing them is a better option. To make sure that you retain the same original taste when reheating the crab cakes, avoid heating them in the microwave or the oven. Instead, place them on a hot non-stick pan with olive oil for a few minutes. Remove them from the pan once they are warmed through and are golden brown. Serve them with lemon wedges to have an appeasing dish for the crab dinner menu.
The Secret Behind the Perfect Crab Cakes
The secret behind making the perfect crab cakes is foil wrap. Yes, that’s it. If you are making a large number of cakes, then wrapping foil around it is a good idea. If you create little foil rings and stuff them with crab it can be a very tedious job. An efficient way to do this is by putting crab mixture into a large log wrapped in aluminum foil. Partially freeze this log and then cut it into slices with the help of a knife. After cutting the disks, keep the foil intact to make sure that the crab cakes are nice and round for execution of the perfect crab dinner menu.
Crab Cake Recipe
Ingredients
1 pound of fresh crab meat (lump or jumbo lump)
2 Tbsp Chives (chopped)
2 Tbsp Tarragon (chopped)
1 ½ cups of breadcrumbs (panko-style)
2 large eggs (divided)
2 Tbsp Parsley (chopped)
3 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp Mayonnaise
Kosher salt (To Taste)
Lemon wedges for serving
Directions
Take a large bowl and combine crab meat, mayonnaise, one egg, and the herb you are using. Fold the mixture gently so you do not break any lumps of crab meat. On your working bench spread out a sheet of aluminum foil. Transfer the crab mixture to the foil. Leave a little room at the bottom of the foil for folding. Add enough mixture that after rolling it forms a log about 6 inches wide. Roll the log until the entire mixture is fully wrapped in foil. Twist at the ends to secure the mixture. Transfer the log to a place and keep it in the freezer for 25 to 30 minutes. Take the log out when the log is semi-frozen.
Now cut the foil log into small discs with the help of a knife. Keep the discs 1 inch in height. One log will make you around 4 to 6 discs. Transfer the crab discs with the foil around the rim onto a baking sheet. Keep this sheet in the freezer for another 20 minutes so that the crab discs can maintain their shape.
Take a bowl and break an egg into it. Beat the egg until it forms a yellow mixture. Place the breadcrumbs in another bowl. Take out the frozen crab mixture discs from the over. Holding lightly from the foil edges dip the discs first into the egg and then the breadcrumbs. Heat oil and butter in a pan on medium heat. Place the crab cakes into the pan. Peel off the foil edges lightly and discard the foil. Continue cooking the crab cakes until they turn slightly golden brown. Remove the cakes from the pan and place them in a dish. Use the leftover fat in the pan and pour it onto the crab cakes.
Once the cakes are completely coated with fat, keep the skillet in the broiler. You should preheat the broiler to high, beforehand. Broil the crab cakes in a skillet until lightly golden brown on top and fully cooked all the way. Keep the cakes in the broiler for 5 minutes. Insert an instant-read thermometer in the center of the crab cakes and make sure it reads 145 to 160°F or 63 to 71°C. once the crab cakes are done remove them from the oven. Place the cakes onto your serving platter. Season with salt and sever with tartar sauce and lemon wedges. with this your crab cakes are ready to complete that crab dinner menu!
