Maryland Crab Cakes—Pan-Fried Crab Cakes with Old Bay Seasoning
Ingredients
Crab Cakes:
1 pound lump crabmeat (preferably jumbo lump), picked over to remove cartilage and shell fragments
4 medium scallions, green part only, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves or cilantro, dill, or basil, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs, or up to 1/4 cup (see headnote)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Salt and ground black pepper
1 large egg
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cups vegetable oil
Creamy Chipotle Chile Sauce:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce (minced)
1 small clove garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon lime juice from 1 lime
Directions
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Looking for just the right crab meat, binder, and cooking technique for our crab cakes recipe, we settled on Atlantic blue crab, top quality crab meat that is labeled "jumbo lump." Fine bread crumbs made the best binder for our crab cakes recipe because of their mild flavor—they don't overwhelm the flavor of the crab—and because they are easy to mix in. To get the crab cakes to hold together during cooking, we refrigerated them for as little as half an hour. The cold firmed up the cakes so that they fried into perfect plump rounds without falling apart.
The amount of bread crumbs you add will depend on the crabmeat’s juiciness. Start with the smallest amount, adjust the seasonings, then add the egg. If the cakes won't bind at this point, then add more bread crumbs, one tablespoon at a time.
1. Gently mix crabmeat, scallions, herb, Old Bay, bread crumbs, and mayonnaise in medium bowl, being careful not to break up crab lumps. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Carefully fold in egg with rubber spatula until mixture just clings together.
2. Divide crab mixture into four portions and shape each into a fat, round cake, about 3 inches across and 1 1/2-inches high. Arrange on baking sheet lined with waxed paper; cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes. (Can refrigerate up to 24 hours.)
3. Put flour on plate or in pie tin. Lightly dredge crab cakes. Heat oil in large, preferably nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Gently lay chilled crab cakes in skillet; pan-fry until outsides are crisp and browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Serve hot, with or without related sauces.
For the sauce: Mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes. (The sauce can be refrigerated for several days.)