The Ultimate Crab Cake Recipe

By Kim Morgan Moss

In my family both growing up and later as a mom raising my own children, food was center to our time together. Whether it was simply sitting together at the dinner table, or the time I spent cooking while the children watched closely wondering what I was preparing, while looking up from their homework, food mattered in our home. Lindsey was our second of three daughters and the most stubborn.

This is the story of THE ULTIMATE CRAB CAKE which is the first food my daughter Lindsey ate as a toddler. Lindsey spit out her baby food refusing everything except her bottle. I slaved over the stove preparing homemade baby food, when that didn't work I bought every store bought brand and taste I could find. They all produced the same results, she refused to eat and held out for her bottle. This went on till 16 months of age when a trip to the pediatrician sent me away with instructions to take away her bottle and let her sit her in her high chair at dinner to eat or go hungry. As usual, she refused the baby food I put in front of her, making clear she would have no part in the meal. When suddenly out of frustration and to this day I am not sure if was her frustration or mine she waved her hand at our dinner. You guessed it! We were dining on crab cakes, and she wanted what we were eating. Her first meal was eaten with success which put a smile on her face and mine and is owed to this recipe which has been adapted from one of the T&C Maryland style crab cake recipes. Lindsey is now 27 years old and when she visits she still wants me to fix them for her.

CRAB CAKES

1 lb jumbo lump crab meat

2 large eggs beaten

3 Tbsp heavy cream

1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

1 Tbsp Old Bay Seasoning

dash cayenne pepper

fresh ground pepper to taste

3 Tbs. minced scallions

1/4 cup minced onions

1/4 cup minced parsley

1/3 cup Hellman's mayonnaise

Few dashes pepper vinegar

1/2 to 1 cup bread crumbs

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl with the cream, mustard, Worcestershire, pepper vinegar, Old Bay seasoning, cayenne and pepper to taste until mixture is well blended. Add the scallions, onions, parsley and mayonnaise. Gently fold in the crab meat and breadcrumbs taking care not to break up the jumbo lumps. Using your hands, divide the crab meat into 8 shaping them gently into rounds. Chill covered in plastic wrap for 1 hour. Heat a few Tbsp butter and oil in heavy skillet sauté 3-4 minutes each side till golden brown. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven. Serve with Spicy tarter sauce.

SPICY TARTER SAUCE

2 Tbsp pepper vinegar

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

1/4 tsp sea salt

fresh ground pepper

Tabasco to taste

1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise

1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

1 medium onion finely chopped

3 Tbsp. chopped dill relish

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Lemon juice to taste

Mix ingredients together, chill 1 hour, sauce will be thin.

Enjoy the recipe, these Crab Cakes are great served on a bed of lettuce with a dollop of spicy tarter sauce as a salad entrée. For a lunch time or easy dinner, crab cakes are great on toasted bun as a sandwich with lettuce and tomato. For a southern twist, garnish with a fried green tomato.

About the Author:

An empty nester, recently remarried to a "meat and potatoes" guy, I have miserbly failed at reinventing myself into a "meat and potatoes"cook. Don't get me wrong I love simple food, but the good kind of simple food, the kind that can't come out of a can or popped in the oven from a box neatly tucked in the freezer. So I am about to embark on a journey to find my way back to the kitchen I once knew, and return to my love of preparing good food for my family, despite my long hours of work. Grab a cup of coffee and a comfy chair while you visit me at www.GoodFoodJustGotBetter.com