Crab Cakes

July 9, 5:07 PMBirmingham Baking ExaminerAnne-Harris Jones

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Crab cakes have long been a family favorite. My mother’s recipe is widely coveted and she has been making crab cakes with the crab my father traps for as long as I can remember. Shortly before the 4th, I joined my father in pulling up the crab trap he had left in the bay of Dauphin Island, Alabama where my family has a beach home. 

We were delighted to find 8 large blue crabs in the trap as we pulled it from the water. I knew that crab cakes would be on the menu in the next few days. After almost losing one particularly crabby crab and rescuing all the hermit crabs that had found their way into the trap, we packed the cooler and headed home.

My mother’s crab cake recipe contains all the necessary components: binder, moistener, protein, starch and seasoning. Large chunk crab meat is the best crab meat to use and of course the fresher, the better. You can find great high quality crab meat at nice grocery stores such as Whole Foods.

• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ cup chopped scallions (green onions)
• ½ cup chopped celery
• 1 lb crabmeat (white lump)
• 2 cups dry bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 cups flour
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup milk

Sauté scallions and celery in butter until slightly tender. Combine crab meat, 1 ½ tablespoons bread crumbs, parsley, thyme, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper with scallions and celery.
Mix 1 egg with dry mustard and beat lightly. Add to crab mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Lightly beat 1 egg and milk.
Form crab cakes into round croquettes about 3 inches in diameter and a ¾ inch thick. Pat the cakes with flour. Dip crab cakes in the egg mixture very carefully. Then dip each one in the bread crumbs.
Refrigerate again for at least 30-45 minutes. Heat the oil in a skillet to about medium high heat. Cook the cakes on each side until browned, about 3 minutes per side.