Crab Cakes: Fry, bake, or both???

[Maryld]

The recipe I use calls for an egg and some mayo. I then saute them in a pan for 3 minutes or so on each side until they are nice and brown but... the insides are still fairly creamy. I don't really worry about the semi-cooked egg situation with my husband and myself, but I wouldn't like to serve them to people who might have issues. What is the best way to get that crispy crust and insure the insides are cooked but not dry? I'd love to hear about techniques that others use. Thanks in advance.

[chefj]

Are these Maryland Crab Cakes? If so they can be broiled as well with very good results.

[sandylc]

I haven't made crab cakes in some time, but back when I did, I made an ultra-thick bechamel to use as a binder - it worked really well.

[Bacardi1]

I've been making crab cakes for decades now, & have experimented with both frying & baking. I now bake mine all the time. They brown nicely, are greaseless, & cooked through without any of the raw egginess that can result from trying to not overbrown when frying.

[Tonality666]

Cook's Illustrated has a (free!) video on their web site describing a recipe for crab cakes using ground shrimp and cream as a binder. I've tried it with excellent results.

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/video...

[Maryld]

Very interesting that ground shrimp can act as a binder. I wonder what property in the shrimp allows it to do this. Does the shrimp subtract from the crab flavor?

[katecm]

You can do it with scallops, too. Just picture the way that shrimp and scallops seize up and solidify when cooked. That's the same process. However, you STILL want to make sure that they are cooked through as well. I usually pan-fry and then finish in the oven, to make sure. You can tell by feel.

[mamachef]

You can make a paste of finely-ground shrimp and use it as a binder with some fine breadcrumbs and the mayo. Le Bec Fin does them this way and they're great.