True Maryland Crabcakes

[mmuch]

Looking for a recipe for these. What makes them different from other crabcakes? Any hounders have any good recipes? Thanks in advance!

[speyerer]

There are several recipes listed here, including several from the side of the Old Bay box.
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/493136

[opinionatedchef]

My mom was a virginia girl. she used ritz crackers as her binder because they are richer than breadcrumbs etc., and i agree. fresh lump blue crabmeat is not possible to find these days unless you live near crab boats. most of it is lump crab meat that comes from indonesia. i buy mine at BJ's (a costco like store in the boston area) in foil pouches that have a VERY long shelflife. also can be found in refrigerated cans.lump blue crabmeat is the ONLY crabmeat worth eating IMO. Maine crabmeat has NONE of the flavor of lump blue.

MOM’S BEST VIRGINIA CRABCAKES
These are very meaty and rich.

1 lg egg
½ c. mayonnaise(Hellman's only, and not low fat !)
1 ½ T Dijon mustard
1 T Worcestire sauce
Cayenne or fresh hot sauce

1 lb. lump ‘blue crab’ meat
¾-1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, pulsed/ground in Cuisinart

Whole wheat or white flour
S & P
Unsalted butter
Lemon juice

Whisk or beat egg lightly. Add mayo through cayenne.
Add crab, breaking up lightly but keeping it chunky.Adjust seasonings to taste.
Add cracker crumbs, mixing lightly. Gently form into cakes about 4” diameter
and ¾” thick. If you have time, chill cakes to firm up. Just before cooking,
dip both sides of cakes in a flour, S and P mixture.

Melt enough butter in a skillet to form a 1/8 “ film. Over medium high heat,
sautee cakes 3-5 minutes on each side, til a brown crust forms.
Squeeze lemon juice over the cakes and serve as is or with a Dijon Aioli or Spicy Aioli.
Makes 8-10 cakes; 2-3 cakes p.p.

SPICY AIOLI

1/4C & 1/2 T. Dijon Mustard

1 Lg. Egg

½ tsp Minced Garlic

3/4 T Lemon Juice

3/4 tsp fresh Hot Sauce

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

3/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil orVegetable Oil

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

Pulse together egg through cayenne in mini Cuisinart.
While running, drizzle in oil until the thickness of mayo.
Adjust seasonings to taste.

[mmuch]

Thank you! these sound fabulous! I will definitely give them a try!

[Phoebe]

Here's a recipe posted by Jimmy Cantler's of Annapolis, MD:

1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 Tblsp mayo
1 Tblsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 lb crab meat (lump is best)

Mix above ingredients together and gently fold in crab meat. Leaving lumps intact.
There is no filler. Patty up and then refrigerate. I then dip chilled cakes in saltine cracker crumbs. Recipe doesn't call for it but I like a little crunch.

[ktmoomau]

This is the recipe I use and like. I don't really like much filler or anything at all. But for this type of crabcake real, fresh lump MD blue crabmeat is a must.

[jeanmarieok]

this is very close to the recipe I use - it's absolutely delicious, and all you taste is the crab.

[Miss Needle]

My favorite crabcake is from Faidleys. Doing a google search yields this:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/rec...

[hon]

20 saltines per pound of crab meat is way too much filler, I only use 5 saltines crushed very fine.

[Miss Needle]

Yeah, I thought the ratio of filler to crab was too high. I'm not sure if that's the original recipe as the crab cakes I've had at Faidley's was mostly jumbo lump crab meat. And they were sooooo good!

[steinpilz]

Another vote for Faidley's here.

[bnemes3343]

Well, what truly makes them (potentially) great is that they use lump Maryland Blue Crab. Where I am (NJ) the local grocers sell some rubbery crab product (yes, it is actually crab), but not sure where it comes from) that does not come close to the flavor of the blue crab. However, I can get the real thing if I don't mind spending about $25/lb (which is fine every now and then). Beyond that you will see many, many opinions about what should and shouldn't go into them. Some like Old Bay, some don't. Saltines, egg, mayo, fresh herbs, all ingredients/amounts that are quite contentious. A really great crab cake should, of course, highlight the crab over everything else. But, a crab cake with nothing but crab is not actually a crab cake (it might be heavenly to quickly heat some lump crab in butter, but is isn't a crab cake).

[TThomas]

Yes, the most important thing is to avoid the rubbery crab product and use the correct balance between lump crab and binder. For herbs, I find adding a little fresh tarragon to crab cakes is just the ticket.

T.

[Docsknotinn]

It's sad but the reality is that 99.9% of all restaurants use that pasteurized blue swimming crab which is an imported product. This is not the same crab or even the same sub-species as the Maryland blue crab. IMO with out domestic blue crab it's just an imitation wanna be crab cake. If their real please don't ruin mine with Old Bay. I use Old Bay in the crab boil but not in the cakes.....errr unless your from Ma.

[bnemes3343]

Shockingly, I ordered a dish of sauteed crab meat in OC Maryland a few years back, and it was the rubbery stuff. Not sure where it comes from, and it is probably (maybe?) delicisous fresh from the water, but it certainly is a waste of time and money in a crab cake. I also like tarragon

[bnemes3343]

And I do like Old Bay, but not too much; but the OB is really a personal and somewhat contentious subject... Main thing, as you say, is the crab meat.

[Docsknotinn]

I like Old Bay but IMO a real crab cake needs very little to accent it's flavor. 20 years ago no one would have even thought about using canned crab. Now prices are through the roof. When I was younger I worked in several fish camps. I recall one in particular where we had a couple of older ethnic ladies who would come in and pick all of the crabs in the live wells as the fresh ones got brought in. For lunch I would throw a bun on the flat top, grab a handfull of fresh picked crab add a little mayo and some old bay. That would be a $25 sandwhich today. LOL I hardly even see fresh blue crab any more. I was on the Outter Banks of NC last spring and there were some markets there that had it.

[opinionatedchef]

doc, i did notice the last time that i used it- that the latin name for the crab species- was listed on the can. is it really not even the same subspecies?
i confess i'm surprised at this.

[Docsknotinn]

The imported "Blue Swimming crab" is a completly different beast! Further the blue crab name or "blue swimming crab" on the imported cans are just good marketing. This products latin name is Portunus pelagicus while true domestic blue crabs are Callinectes sapidus. There was a report on this some time back on 60 minutes. Remember theese products come from Indonesia, Vietnam etc and they are not subject to the same standards we have. Here is a couple of links that are well worth reading.
:)

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/content/media/MBA_SeafoodWatch_BlueCrabReport.pdf

http://www.seafoodbusiness.com/archiv...

[Coveside]

Chef,
You are abolutely right! I am a Maryland commerial crabber. That junk in the cans is crap verses what we catch in the Bay. To get the best crab meat, you should buy live crabs, cook them and pick them.
Our season in Maryland doesn't open until April first and we really don't start before May 1. And our soft-shelled crabs... I can't wait to pull the first one from our tanks! Beware what you buy.

[Querencia]

bnemes3343: Good luck to you. After 25 years in Maryland I now live somewhere else. Recently bought (for large money) a refrigerated pound can of crabmeat with a brand name that was something like Tilghman's Island or Crisfield or some such, very Eastern Shore. I expected Maryland Blue Crab. On the bottom of the can, stamped in fine print: Product of Indonesia.

[ktmoomau]

When crab meat is in season you can get it from:
faidleys
www.crabplace.com (a bunch of guys from Crisfield MD who got a big grant to start their website and online business but they are real deal
)and other places I am sure I just know those two are solid during season for the real thing, off season it is probably coming from VA, NC or gulf though, or frozen, I don't know.

[aussiewonder]

My friend's sworn by recipe for MD Crabcakes and the one they use in her restaurant (in Baltimore) is right off the back of the Old Bay seasoning package. They're good and easy to make. You can doctor them if you'd like but then, of course, they'll no longer be MD Crab Cakes.

CRAB CAKES:
2 slices bread, crusts removed
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon OLD BAY SEASONING
1 pound crab meat

Break bread into small pieces and moisten with milk. Add remaining ingredients; shape into cakes. Fry or broil until golden brown.

[hon]

I have to interject that true MD crab cakes are made with crushed saltines or cracker meal, not bread. I would eliminate the bread and use 5 pulverized saltines instead. Eliminate the tablespoon of baking powder too, it's not needed and add a tablespoon of good mustard.

[fourunder]

hon,

I would interject only to suggest if you do use bread, use a bread similar to Pepperidge Farm's brand white.....make fresh bread crumbs in your food processor, and use to coat the outside of your crab cakes for pan frying to give added texture...as my original suggestion of Panko. Just my opinion.

[fourunder]

Outside of Cheap Frozen Crabcakes....

I like them all.....with filler or with out...but I like Ritz crackers better than Saltines or Oyster Crackers as binding filler.

One thing that does make a difference for me.....if it is to be coated on the outside....I prefer Panko instead of traditional bread crumbs or cracker meal. It makes for better contrasting textures.

The basic recipe:

Jumbo Lump Crab Meat
Bay Seasoning
Worchestershire
Tabasco
Mayo or Egg

[hon]

What makes them different is that they are the best!