CHESAPEAKE BAY CLASSIC CRAB CAKES

CHESAPEAKE BAY CLASSIC CRAB CAKES image

Yield 8 large crab cakes (4 servings)

Number Of Ingredients 16

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Ingredients

1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup peanut or canola oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced scallions, both white and green parts
1 pound lump blue crabmeat drained and picked clean of shell
4 cups fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped parsley
About 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Red cocktail sauce
4 lemon wedge

Steps:

Put the egg yolk, Old Bay, mustard, lemon zest and juice, and vinegar in the bowl of a mini-food processor or a blender and process until smooth. Gradually pour in the oil with the machine running until the mixture emulsifies and forms a mayonnaise. Season with the salt and pepper. Transfer the mayo to a bowl and, using a rubber spatula, fold in the scallions and the crabmeat until well combined. Combine the bread crumbs and the parsley in a shallow container. Form the crab mixture into eight patties about 3 inches wide and 3/4-inch-thick and drop them into the bread crumb-parsley mixture. Dredge the crab cakes on both sides. If you have time, leave the crab cakes in the container of bread crumbs, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for an hour or more. When you are ready to fry the crab cakes, put two large nonstick skillets over medium heat. Add about 2 tablespoon butter to each pan. When the butter is melted, add four crab cakes to each pan, patting off excess crumbs first. Slowly fry the crab cakes until they are golden brown on both sides and hot through, turning once with a spatula, about 4 minutes per side. If the crab cakes are brown too quickly, reduce the heat. The internal temperature of a cooked crab should be 155 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer crab cakes to plates, two per person, and serve with your choice of sauce and lemon wedges. Note: To use this recipe for crab cakes that are broiled, but not breaded, use 2 egg yolks, make the crab cake mixture, and shape into eight cakes. Omit dredging in bread crumbs. Refrigerate for one to four hours or overnight. Arrange the cakes in a pan and broil until they're hot through and lightly golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes, rotating the pan as needed to brown the cakes evenly.