Crab cakes are one of my favorite things to eat, and I like to treat myself and my family to them occasionally. This Amazing Crab Cake Recipe is a mixture of Jumbo Lump crab meat and lump crab meat, for a rich texture and flavor. Many crab cakes are full of “fillers,” or binding agents that keep the crab cake together. But these let the crab flavor shine through because they have a minimum amount of binders.
Grades of Crab Meat
For crab cakes, we are generally talking about meat from the blue crab. Unlike snow crabs and king crabs, blue crabs are much smaller and the meat is removed from the body of the crab, rather than the legs (although meat from the claws is extracted.) The meat is then graded by the size of the pieces of crab meat. For jumbo lump, each crab has only two muscles that qualify. These are the largest and most sought-after pieces of crab meat. After that, the pieces get smaller and the grades go down. There is a large difference between jumbo lump meat and lump crabmeat. That doesn’t mean the different grades aren’t flavorful, they just aren’t those showstopping pieces.
Types of Crab Cakes
Yes, of course, there are differences in crab cakes. However, they are not as easily known as the differences in other types of food. Generally, you can distinguish higher quality crabcakes by the higher price associated with them. My Crab Louie Salad with Grilled Romaine and Horseradish Crema Gel isn’t a crab cake, but it uses only Jumbo Lump. Thus, it’s delicious, but a special treat. If I am broiling crabcakes, I will use very little filler and jumbo lump meat for a good texture. This recipe is fried. Many fried crab cake recipes use lots of fillers and the lowest grades of crab meat (special or claw meat.) This recipe uses the bare minimum of filler for a crab-tastic flavor.
Making Amazing Crab Cakes
For this Amazing Crab Cakes recipe, I use a blend of jumbo lump and lump crab meat. Most fried crab cakes only use lump or lower grades, and there is a good reason to use those grades. The smaller pieces of crabmeat are more easily mixed in with the binder and are easier to form into cakes and bread. As long as there is not too much binder, they can be great crabcakes. But I love the blow-you-away flavor and texture, so I use the larger grade. Quite frankly, they’re a bit more difficult to handle, but I think the end result is worth it.
I use my Woo Woo Sauce in this recipe to give the cakes a rich, umami flavor. If you haven’t tried it, please do- it’s delicious!
Putting the Crab Cakes together
While I love to broil or grill crab cakes, this is a more traditional pan-fried version. For that, you’ll need to make the cake, then lightly bread it and fry it. Add the crab cake ingredients to a bowl and gently fold them together, don’t mix them. We want to break up the jumbo lump crab pieces as little as possible. After doing this, form the mix into patties and refrigerate for 30 minutes before breading.
For the breading, I lightly season flour with my Garlic Blend. Set up a 4 step breading station- seasoned flour, egg wash, breadcrumbs, and a place to put them when breaded. Gently coat the cakes with the seasoned flour, dip in the egg wash, then in breadcrumbs. Set aside.
Cooking these Amazing Crab Cakes and Enjoying them!
I use a heavy-bottomed skillet with about 1/2″ of canola oil to fry them. Get your temperature to 350, then gently place 3 crab cakes in the skillet. After browning, gently turn them and continue to cook until evenly browned on all sides. Remove to a towel-lined plate, and repeat with the remaining cakes.
Now, all you have to do is follow the simple recipe below, and serve some amazing crabcakes for dinner. I like to serve these with a veggie, like my Garlicky Green Beans, and then something comforting and simple, like some crinkle-cut fries. You could also serve these with a bowl of seasoned rice, or really anything you like. However, you must make the Very Best Remoulade Sauce for them, as it’s the perfect accompaniment.
As always, I hope you enjoy!
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Amazing Crab Cake Recipe
Description
These amazing crab cakes feature a blend of crab meat grades for perfect texture and flavor. You’ll love them as a special treat!
Ingredients
1/2 TBS canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
8 oz jumbo lump crab meat
8 oz lump or special crab meat
1 TBS whole grain mustard
1 TBS Italian Parsley, chopped, plus for garnish
1 TBS Melissa’s Woo Woo Sauce, or Worcestershire sauce
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1/2 TBS Cajun Seasoning
1 TBS plus 2 tsp Melissa’s Garlic Blend Seasoning, or your favorite season all
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 cups fine breadcrumbs
1 cup flour
2 eggs, whisked
1 cup milk
Oil for frying
Instructions
In a small skillet, cook bell peppers and onions until softened and fragrant, then cool.
In a large mixing bowl, add cooked peppers and onions, mustard, Woo Woo sauce, parsley, lemon juice, egg yolk, Cajun seasoning, and 2 tsp Garlic Blend. Lightly mix the ingredients together.
Add in jumbo lump crabmeat and lump crabmeat, then sprinkle with panko. Gently fold all ingredients together, then form into 6 patties, lightly pressing them. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Mix flour and 1 TBS Garlic Blend on a paper plate. In a bowl, whisk eggs and milk. Place breadcrumbs on another plate. Gently coat cakes with seasoned flour, then dip in egg wash, then coat with breadcrumbs.
Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan to 350 degrees. Gently place 3 cakes in oil, and cook until brown, about 3-4 minutes. Gently turn over and cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining crab cakes.
Garnish with green onions and parsley and serve.
