Classic Maryland Crabcakes Food

MARYLAND CRAB CAKES

Steps:

• Clean the crabmeat of all shell fragments without breaking or crumbling the delicate lumps.
• Place the bread in a food processor and, using the metal blade, process until finely crumbled. Measure and reserve 2 tablespoons of the bread crumbs to use in the filling. The remaining bread crumbs will be used to coat the crab cakes.
• Mix the crabmeat with the sweet peppers, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro leaves, and mayonnaise. Add the "Old Bay" seasoning powder, 2 tablespoons of the bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Mix well, then refrigerate for twenty minutes before continuing.
• Cover a work surface with waxed paper sprinkled with the reserved bread crumbs. Using a 2-ounce ice cream scoop, form eight equal-size portions of crabmeat. With the palm of your hand pat each portion into a disk-shaped cake approximately 3/4-inch thick. It is important for the crab cakes to be the same thickness so that they will cook uniformly. Press each cake into the bread crumbs, turning them so they coat evenly on all sides. Refrigerate for at least an hour to prevent them from crumbling during cooking.
• No more than half an hour before you plan to serve the crab cakes, add enough oil to cover the bottom of an oven-proof saute pan. Heat until just before it begins to smoke. Add the crab cakes gently, being careful not to crowd the pan. (Cook them in two batches if necessary.) When the crab cakes are well browned on both sides, place in a 375 degree F. oven for six minutes to ensure that they are fully cooked and hot at the center. Serve with mesclun salad, chili mayonnaise and garnish with finely chopped tomato.

MARYLAND STYLE CRABCAKES

Steps:

• Even though crab meat is packaged fresh and clean of shell there are always some shell fragments remaining. Open the crab meat, dump into a clean dish, and with scrupulously clean hands, pick through and clean the crabmeat of all shell fragments. Be careful of the delicate nature of such a high quality product and try not to crumble the large lumps of crab. Mix the crabmeat with the sweet peppers, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro leaves, and mayonnaise. Add the seasoning powder, 4 tablespoons of the bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Mix well then refrigerate the mixture for twenty minutes. A cold mix is easier to work with and form into cakes.
• Cover a work surface with waxed paper and sprinkle with half of the remaining bread crumbs. Scoop up and divide the crabmeat into 6 equalsize portions and place each mound on the work space. With the a portion of crab in the palm of one hand pat the crab with the fingers of your other hand into a diskshaped cake approximately 3/4-inch thick. It is important for the crab cakes to be the same thickness so that they will cook uniformly. Pat each cake with the bread crumbs, turning them so they coat evenly on all sides. Refrigerate for at least an hour so that the firm enough to cook and in this way prevent them from crumbling.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Not more than half an hour before you plan to serve the crab cakes add enough oil to cover the bottom of a saute pan. Heat until just before it begins to smoke. Add the crab cakes gently, being careful not to crowd the pan. (Cook them in two batches if necessary.) Turn the cakes and brown the second side. When the crab cakes are well browned to a rich golden on both sides, place on a heat proof platter and into a 375 degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes to ensure that they are fully cooked and hot at the center. Serve with chili mayonnaise and a mango salad.

PERFECT MARYLAND CRAB CAKES

Steps:

• Trim the crusts from the bread; discard, or reserve for another use. Tear the remaining bread into little pieces (about 20 pieces per slice); handle the bread lightly, so the pieces remain fluffy and don't flatten out. Place the bread pieces in a bowl, and sprinkle them with the wine; toss lightly to distribute the wine evenly.
• Pick over the backfin and the jumbo lump crabmeat to remove any bits of shell. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the backfin and jumbo lump crabmeat. Season to taste with salt and with Maryland crab seasoning. Add the soaked bread, beaten eggs, lemon juice, and melted butter; toss lightly, making sure to keep the crab lumps whole. Add the mayonnaise, and toss the mixture gently with your hands, distributing the mayonnaise evenly. Taste again for seasoning, if desired (if you don't want to taste raw egg, you can saute a bit of the mixture in butter). For even better flavor, allow the mixture to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours.
• When you are ready to cook, place a large, heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat; the pan should have enough room for 3 crab cakes. Add enough lard and vegetable oil (in fifty-fifty production) to create a 1-inch depth of oil. When the oil is medium-hot, quickly shape 1/2 the crab mixture with your hands into 3 cakes, each roughly the size and shape of a large hamburger. Gently place the cakes in the oil, making sure to preserve their shapes. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the cakes are golden on one side. Flip them carefully with a spatula, and fry on the other side for 3 to 4 minutes. After about 8 minutes, the cakes should be golden brown on all sides and heated through (you want the pieces of bread inside to virtually disappear). Remove the cakes from the pan, and place them on paper towels. Repeat and make 3 more cakes with the remaining mixture.

MARYLAND CRAB CAKES I

Steps:

• Pick the crab meat to remove any remaining pieces of shell.
• Pick bread into small pieces and place in medium-size bowl with crabmeat. Add egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and Old Bay seasoning ™. Mix ingredients by hand to avoid overworking the crabmeat, you want to keep the lumps of meat as much as possible. Form into patties; this should make 6 good-size cakes.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet, then fry cakes for about 4 minutes each side or until brown crust forms on both sides of the crab cake.

MARYLAND CRAB CAKES II

Steps:

• Preheat oven broiler.
• Mix together crabmeat, bread crumbs, parsley, salt and pepper.
• Beat together egg, mayonnaise, hot sauce and mustard. Combine with other ingredients and mix well. Form into patties and place on a lightly greased broiler pan or baking sheet.
• Broil for 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly brown.

MARYLAND CRAB CAKES

Steps:

• Mix together eggs, mayo, OLD BAY, pepper, worcestershire sauce, and mustard, until creamy.
• Add bread crumbs, mixing evenly.
• Add in the crab meat, being sure to mix evenly.
• Shape into cakes.
• Makes 6 large or 9 medium crabcakes.
• Saute in pan with a little oil for about 5 minutes on each side.
• You can also broil them until brown. This may require you to flip them, depending on your pan.
• Serve with tartar sauce and lemon.
• Tip: Try a crabcake sandwich. I use a Martin's Brand potato roll topped with tartar sauce and crisp lettuce.