The dust is settling. The victory parade complete. Baltimore, home to Super Bowl LXVII champion Ravens, now begins to move forward with great anticipation to the end of the winter season and the welcome back of spring. Spring will usher in both baseball season and crab season. Each dear to the heart of the locals. More than any other food, Maryland's blue crab has helped to shape the culinary identity of the state and Marylanders are well known for their delicious crab cakes.
Chefs start with jumbo lump crab meat, carefully cleared of any cartilage or shells. They mix together eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, baking powder, parsley, and seasoning in a bowl. The crab meat is then added and the mixture is well blended with just a fork (or two, or by hand) and then cracker meal is added. Each crab cake is formed into a three-inch circle. When they are all assembled they are placed in the refrigerator for one hour before frying in order to properly set. Maryland crab cakes are fried in vegetable oil over medium heat until golden brown.
The New York spin on this recipe would be to use bread crumbs or even Panko style crumbs rather than the cracker meal. The other option would be to bake the crab cakes in the oven at 375 degrees, turning them over halfway through, and looking for that similar golden-brown finish. Either way they are delicious. Serve with lemon wedges and tartar sauce. Enjoy !
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