Regina Schrambling's Crab Cakes

A lot of people, like my stepmother, are so obsessed with crab cakes they'll order them whenever they appear on a menu. I've had a few restaurant crab cakes in my time, but they've never been much to write home about. Too aggressively spiced, too pasty, too fried. And since mayonnaise, such an integral part of the crab cake construction, is the kind of substance I'd be happy to never have to ingest again in my life, I've never really been too tempted to make these at home.

But then Regina Schrambling had to go and write a mouth-watering article about the glories of crab cakes done right, and since she had such kitchen luminaries as Tom Douglas and David Lentz expounding on their mama's crab cakes (and providing, I assume, some amalgam of those ladies' kitchen wisdom in the accompanying recipe), I couldn't help but run out and practically mortgage my apartment to buy lump crab meat and get to work.

Since I simply could not bring myself to actually buy a whole jar of mayonnaise, I substituted some low-fat mayo left behind by my San Francisco-bound roommate, but otherwise, I stuck to the recipe. Jumbo lump crab meat, Old Bay, panko bread crumbs, chopped parsley, sliced green onions, salt, pepper and an egg. The cakes seemed like they'd barely hold together as there was so much crab in comparison to the binding and filler. I chilled the cakes while I whizzed together a piquillo pepper sauce for dipping (more mayo - egads, some jarred piquillos, sherry vinegar, parsley, and a bit of pimenton de la Vera to add a faintly bitter, smoky note.)

After an hour of chilling, I melted butter with oil in a pan and gently fried the cakes until they were browned and crispy on both sides. Served hot with the cold, creamy, smoky sauce, they were quite a delicious meal eaten outside in the evening breeze. The sweet, plump crab really shone through, but the crunch and vegetal brightness of the onions and herbs and spices turned these into well-balanced flavor bombs (in a good way!).

I love this plain, simple recipe - it's a classic. And If I make these again, when I've won the lottery and can afford to do so, I'll definitely be trying sauce gribiche alongside them, which seems like a more sophisticated take on tartar sauce and a bit more up my alley, sauce-wise.

Crab Cakes
8 servings

1 pound jumbo lump or Dungeness crabmeat
4 green onions, green part only, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (or cilantro)
1/2 cup panko or fine dry bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning (or to taste)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup olive oil

1. Pick over the crabmeat to remove any cartilage, trying not to break up the chunks. In a bowl, gently toss the crabmeat, green onions, cilantro, panko and Old Bay. Again, try not to break up the crab.

2. Gently fold in the mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Add the lightly beaten egg and fold just until the mixture is well combined.

3. Shape the mixture into eight fat ball-like cakes. (They will flatten slightly during cooking.) Place them on a platter or a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Drape a second sheet of wax paper over the top. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

4. In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat. Carefully lay the crab cakes into the butter and oil and fry until crusty and browned, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Serve hot, with a chilled sauce.

Comments

[Jessika]

Canned crab is hard to find here and to be honest - haven't really been looking - but I make fish cakes using the same principle. Don't know how you feel about creme fraiche but it might be worth trying that instead of mayo. Creme fraiche binds better plus I find it less pervasive in terms of taste.

[foodmomiac]

Yet another recipe that gets added to my my del.icio.us account for future use. Sounds wonderful. Where did you get the crab?

[pam]

holy cow, no celery or onions. wahoo! will go to bank in search of loan this afternoon in order to make these beauties. droool!

[Luisa]

Jessika - I'd be thrilled to use creme fraiche instead of mayo, but I wonder if the creme fraiche has too much of a sour note that competes with the sweet shellfish, while mayo is far more bland? Probably much will be had in the experimentation. ;) What kind of fish do you use for your cakes?

Foodmomiac - it's a keeper. For those days when you're feeling flush, I suppose. I bought the crab at Whole Foods: 2 8 ounce containers of the most beautifully shelled crab - plump and perfect, nary a piece of cartilage in sight. But, hoo boy, do they charge for the privilege.

Pam - exactly, that's just what I thought (and I don't even mind celery all that much. But not in my tuna salad, please, and definitely not in my crab cakes).

[Meghan]

I'm with Jessika - I make salmon cakes that are nearly identical to crab cakes (except add lots of dill). Satisfy the same cravings, but you don't have to pay for the crab...

[Maggi]

Hmmm. I'll have to try this variation. Living here in MD, we can get crab at a much more reasonable price. So much so that during the summer months, it's a regular menu item here at home. With that said... Lumb is definitely the Jaguar of crab meat. Down here, we like to use Backfin. Still has lumps throughout, but nearly half the price. I can't imagine buying crab at Whole Foods here. Not when it's widely available elsewhere for much less and is just as fresh.

[gemma]

A few years ago, I tried the crab cakes at Le Gigot on Cornelia Street in New York. They were the most DELICIOUS things I have ever eaten. Since then, I can't bring myself to order them or make them myself as I think they would pale in comparison. Can these ones really be THAT good?

[Aoife]

Just for future reference, Costco sells canned crab at pretty reasonable prices. It may not be quite as tasty as fresh from Whole Foods, but I've always found them good enough for my purposes.

[Leland]

My grandmother is a nut for crab cakes, but they have to be almost completely free of filler. Every time we go to a restaurant anywhere near a body of water, even if it's the Allegheny River, she orders the crab cakes and quizzes the poor server on where the crab comes from and how much filler is in the cakes. If she's not satisfied, you can believe she sends them right back.

I can vomit just thinking of mayonnaise, but this does sound worth trying, since I love crab cakes.

[Jessika]

Luisa -- I use whatever fish there is, with some exceptions, but mostly cod and salmon. I vary the seasoning but it is usually dill and bayleaf or a combo of parsley, garlic and lemon juice. "Real" french creme fraiche is sweeter than the one you can get here. Don't know why that is. I've always been intrigued by contrasts and a slight bite of sourness takes the edge off so I use it frequently (we have many pre-seasoned low fat creme fraiche which is great to put in meatballs instead of cream or milk). Not very traditional no, but good. I'd worry mayonnaise could overwhelm it all, making it too sweet. I compare creme fraiche to sour cream or a dairy product which is basically sour milk and in the light of these creme fraiche seems pretty unsour. If you have the time to experiment I would.

[ann]

this sounds lovely (and looks beautiful too)! but i have one qualm against making them myself... did they make the apartment smell at all?
i am SO paranoid about cooking fish in my apt. b/c its SO small that strong smells linger for EONS!
thanks for the recipe Luisa!

[Luisa]

Meghan - Fish cakes sound like they'd be right up my alley, though I'd have to figure out a different herb, since I feel about dill almost the same way I feel about cilantro... ;)

Maggi - lucky you! I don't know that they even sell backfin crab meat up here - at Whole Foods there was jumbo lump and then just regular crabmeat. At least it wasn't surimi!

Gemma - silly me didn't order those crabcakes at Le Gigot, so I can't compare, but these were delicious and light and scrumptious.

Aoife - that's a good tip, though I'm loathe to admit I don't even know where a Costco might be in my area?

Leland - your grandmother would love these then; there's practically no filler. And from one mayo-hater to another, the amount in this recipe was just fine.

Jessika - I certainly have my fish cake work cut out for me!

Ann - the only smell in the apartment was the scent of browned butter after I fried the cakes. I dislike the smell that fried fish makes in the apartment, but these did absolutely nothing of the sort. I am sort of anal about lingering scents of most food once I'm done eating so I march around with my Durance room spray (mint, amazing) to get rid of the odors. Ahem.

[Rebecca]

Hmm, you'd think I would know that about Leland's grandmother, my ex-mother-in-law...but I share her views about filler in crab cakes. I'm sure she feels that way because she grew up in the D.C. area and got great ones down there.

I hate it when the menu says "lump crab cakes" and they are nothing of the sort, just pasty shreds with lots of filler. This recipe sounds like a keeper!

[Julie]

I love crabcakes although I am anti-Old Bay in my crabcakes. Everyone uses it in crabcakes now but it's not traditional (it's for STEAMING the crabs!)and I find the taste too sharp. I flavor mine with lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, and cayenne pepper, plus very, very finely minced onions.

Your crabcakes look delicious and that dipping sauce sounds amazing.

[Luisa]

Rebecca - pasty is exactly the right word for a bad crab cake.

Julie - your version sounds FANTASTIC. I will have to keep it in mind for next time. I don't have a problem with Old Bay per se, but it bugs me to have a spice cluttering my cabinets that I will only ever use for a recipe that I can't afford to make more than once a year! Plus, there's really nothing better then lemon juice with seafood and it always amazes me that most crab cake recipes never really feature that.

[Colin]

I am absolutely going to try these crab cakes (or some variation on them!) out very soon. They look positively delicious.

[kyle]

I made these crab cakes last night, and they are absolutely amazing (and easy). I grew up in VA and used to go crabbing with my dad for crab meat, so my standards for true, no filler crab cakes are really high. For convenience, I usually make them with a packet that Old Bay puts out, but I couldn't find them up here where I live in CT. I searched and found this recipe, and I will never go back! I cut the butter down by half, used at least a tsp of old bay, and substituted finely chopped vidalia onion for the green onions. Heaven. Thank you so much for the recipe!

[Rhea]

I made these (fake crab was the best I could do in a land-locked province) and they were a hit. I'm goning to make them again and again!