Crab Cakes

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Take Your Tastebuds Oceanside With A Weeknight Meal of Crab Cakes

There’s something about eating seafood that transports me oceanside with the sand between my toes, waves crashing, and the screech of seagulls.

And crab is one of my favorites.

While crab can be one of the more expensive items when dining out, it can actually be more affordable when you prepare it at home.  It’s going to be more costly per person than hamburger meat, but who doesn’t need a special treat every now and then?

Food historians say the early form of crab cake started out as an economical meal back in the American colonies.  The settlers ate an English minced meat cake and would modify it based on whatever they had on hand.  This included the use of crab meat.  The actual term “crab cake” didn’t appear in print until the 1930s in Crosby Gaige’s New York World’s Fair cookbook.

Crab cakes are very popular in coastal states where the crabbing industry is strong.  There are several varieties of crab meats including the blue crab, which is native to Chesapeake Bay near where this delicious dish has its origins.

Dungeness crab are said to the tastiest.

Now, it’s time to bring a coastal vibe into your home-dining experience.  As you might have guessed, today’s recipe is crab cake.

Make Crab Cakes A Family Affair

Gather the family into the kitchen, and make it a family affair.  It’s a lot of fun to prep and form the crab cake patties.  Pull up one of your favorite online radio apps and hit “play” on some ocean sounds.  Maybe see who can best imitate the screech of a seagull!

But most of all get ready for the deliciousness of buttery lumps of crab meat, herbs and spices, and just a hint of crunch with a panko bread crumb crust.

You just might never want to eat crab cakes out again.

Looking for another seafood dish? Try this yummy scallop dish:

Crab Cakes

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Take your tastebuds oceanside with a weeknight meal of crab cakes. Make it a family affair to prep, form, and cook the crab cakes together. One bite of these delicious cakes of lumpy crab meat and herbs and you’ll be hooked.

• Prep Time: 0 hours
• Cook Time: 0 hours
• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: Serves 4 - 6 1x

Ingredients

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• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup green onion, minced
• 4 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped
• 4 teaspoons fresh tarragon, chopped
• 4 teaspoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 pound Dungeness crab meat
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs, divided
• 2–4 tablespoons butter
• olive oil

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Instructions

1. Whisk together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, egg yolks, and fresh lemon juice in a medium sized bowl.
2. Mix in the green onions, dill, tarragon, cilantro, lemon zest, black pepper, crab meat and 1 cup of the panko bread crumbs.
3. Line a sheet pan with a silicon mat or waxed paper.
4. Place remaining 1 cup of panko bread crumbs onto a separate sheet pan.
5. Scoop 2 oz of the crab meat mixture from the bowl and form into a pattie. Press both sides the pattie into the bread crumbs and then place on the lined sheet pan.
6. Once all the patties have been formed, chill patties for up to an hour. Chilling helps the patties “set” so that they are easier to handle for pan frying.
7. When ready to pan fry, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
8. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan and add the crab cakes. Allow space between each pattie to facilitate turning the patties so you can fry them on both sides.
9. Cook the patties in batches adding more oil and butter as needed. Adjust the heat up or down to facilitate the right amount of heat for a nice brown without cooking too quickly or slowly.

Notes

The patties can be formed several days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Be sure to cover them well.

If you prefer larger patties, use a 4 oz scoop of the meat mixture.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 Crab Cake
• Calories: 425.28 kcal
• Sugar: 1.44 g
• Sodium: 812.96 mg
• Fat: 25.52 g
• Saturated Fat: 4.13 g
• Trans Fat: 0.02 g
• Carbohydrates: 23.23 g
• Fiber: 1.59 g
• Protein: 24.99 g
• Cholesterol: 207.85 mg