Gertie's Crab Cakes Recipe - Cooking Index
Gertie's Crab Cakes Recipe - Cooking Index
This recipe is in the most traditional style of Bay crab cakes. It uses a slightly spiced mixture of mayonnaise and egg, and is lightly bound together with cracker crumbs.
Type: Fish, Shellfish| 1 | Egg | |
| 2 tablespoons | 30ml | Mayonnaise |
| 1 teaspoon | 5ml | Dry mustard |
| 1/2 teaspoon | 2.5ml | Freshly-ground black pepper |
| 1 teaspoon | 5ml | Chesapeake seasoning |
| 2 teaspoons | 10ml | Worcestershire sauce |
| 1 | Tabasco sauce | |
| 1 lb | 454g / 16oz | Backfin crabmeat - picked over |
| 1/3 cup | 48g / 1.7oz | Saltine cracker crumbs |
| Vegetable oil - for frying, | ||
| (optional) | ||
| Clarified butter* and/or olive oil - for sauteing, | ||
| (optional) | ||
| Tartar sauce - for accompaniment | ||
| Lemon wedges - for accompaniment |
* Note: To clarify butter, place solid unsalted butter into a heavy-bottomed pot and slowly melt over low heat. When the butter is completely melted, remove from the heat. There wifi be three distinct parts of the butter remaining: a foam on the top; a clear, golden-colored liquid in the center; and a milky liquid on the bottom. The trick is to separate the golden liquid from the foam and milky solids.
Mix the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, pepper, Chesapeake seasoning, Worcestershire, and Tabasco together in a blender or mixing bowl until frothy. Place the crab-meat in a bowl and sprinkle on the cracker crumbs. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Gently toss or fold the Ingredients together, taking care not to break up the lumps of crabmeat.
Form the cakes by hand or with an ice cream scoop into 8 mounds about 3 inches in diameter and 3/4-inch thick. Do not pack the mixture too firmly. The cakes should be as loose as possible, yet still hold their shape. Place the cakes on a tray or platter lined with wax paper, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cooking.
Pour oil into a heavy skillet to a depth of about 1 1/2 inches. Heat the oil and fry the crab cakes, a few at a time, until golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove with a slotted utensil to paper towels to drain. Or broil the cakes: Slip them under a preheated broiler until nicely browned, turning to cook evenly, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Or saute the cakes: Heat a small amount of clarified butter or olive oil, or a combination, in a skillet and saute the cakes, turning several times, until golden brown, about 8 minutes total cooking time.
Serve at once, with tartar sauce and lemon wedges on the side.
This recipe yields 4 servings.
Source:
Cookbook Digest, May/Jun, 1999
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