Maryland Style Crab Cakes

I think you will agree crab cakes are a real treat. With warmer weather coming, summer is near, well, pretty near and that's good enough for me. To us, certain foods just speak summertime. Crab cakes are one of them. This is not an old family recipe or a friend's secret recipe. We looked at a number of preparations and came up with one of our own using ingredients we felt would play well together give the best straight forward flavor to the crab. The simple sour cream lime sauce is a nice addition and pulls it all together. We think you will like them.  

Ingredients – (makes 6 crab cakes, but we made 6 plus a runt with what was left...)

1 lb. jumbo lump or back fin lump crab meat, fresh or pasteurized

1 large egg

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1-1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1-1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Sea salt

1-1/4 cups fresh breadcrumbs - from soft white sandwich bread

1 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp olive oil 
Lemon wedges for serving - optional

Sour cream lime sauce -
1 cup sour cream mixed with the zest and juice from 1 lime 

Preparation –

Drain the crab meat, if necessary, and pick through it for shells. Put the crab in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Pour the mixture over the crab and mix in gently until well combined. Do not over mix.

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and the parsley over the mixture, and mix them in thoroughly but gently with your hands; try not to turn the mixture into a mush—it should still be somewhat loose. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours. Shape the crab mixture into 8 cakes about 1 inch thick.

And place on wax paper on a cookie sheet then into the freezer for an hour. Cooking in 350 degree oil from frozen insures everything stays together. 

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. When the butter is frothy, add the cakes to the pan (8 should fit comfortably but don’t overcrowd). Cook until dark golden brown on the underside, about 4 minutes. Flip the cakes, reduce the heat to medium low, and continue cooking until the other side is well browned, 4 to 5 minutes. 

Serve with a dollop of the sour cream lime sauce. 

Possible Sides - Jasmine rice or roasted baby potatoes, coleslaw, sautéed zucchini or pan fried escarole or rainbow Swiss chard.