It’s been over a year since moving from the Lowcountry, and since I can’t get fresh seafood as easily now, I crave it more. This week the craving hit hard for one of my favorite seafood dishes, crab cakes. I love crab cakes because it’s truly no-mess crab eating. This recipe is a combination of a few recipes I came across online. It’s a keeper because it’s loaded with lump crab meat and not “cakey” —the way crab cakes should be.
Ingredients:
1 pound lump crab meat
1 teaspoon butter
3 stalks finely chopped celery
3 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon chopped drained bottled pimiento
1 extra lg. egg
4 slices of stale bread without crust, crumbled, soaked in water & squeezed dry (see tips below)
Seasoning Mix:
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
11/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
Salt & pepper to taste
Sauce:
1⁄ 3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of spicy brown mustard
Instructions:
1.Melt butter in a skillet. Add celery and onion and stir. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Remove shell from crab meat. Be careful not to break the lumps.
3. Mix together mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, and spicy brown mustard.
4. Add curry powder, Old Bay seasoning, and Italian seasoning to sauce mix.
5. Mix sauce mix, bread and egg together.
6. Add celery, onion and pimento to crab meat.
7. Add sauce mixture to crab meat. Toss gently, breaking up some of the crab meat, leaving some lumps intact.
8. Scoop portions onto greased sheet pan. (I used my 1/4 measuring cup.)
9. Broil until golden brown
10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 10-12 minutes until cakes are just heated through. Then place under broiler for about 1 minute, until golden brown on top.
Tips:
-Don’t have stale bread? No problem. I didn’t either. Here’s how to make it: How to Dry Out Bread
-You don’t have to use the method described above. I’ve also seen recipes that called for bread crumbs, panko bread crumbs, and crackers. If you try an alternative, let me know how it turns out.
-This recipe is very meaty. I prefer it that way. Feel free to add more bread to your liking.
-I used bottled pimento peppers. I’m sure you could also use fresh pimento peppers or red bell peppers.
-If you want your crab cakes to be picture perfect, be careful when breaking up lumps. Do not break them up too much.
-If you serve this an appetizer, serve with some type of sauce or lemon wedges. I really enjoyed it with a tossed salad.
-I’ve also doubled this recipe to serve more people. It was still delish!