Crabby Crab Cakes

Name: Crabby Crab Cakes
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 crab cakes
Ingredients: 1 pound fresh lump crab meat; 1 egg; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional); Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; 2 tablespoons flour, more for dredging; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or neutral oil, like canola or grape-seed; 4 tablespoons butter (or use a total of 4 tablespoons oil); Lemon wedges

By Mark Bittman

Total Time: 1 hour, largely unattended
Rating: 4(267)
Comments: Read comments

Getting the most out of crab cakes often means putting the least into them. Since crab has the best texture and subtlest flavor of all crustaceans, the best crab cakes are those that showcase the crab, not another ingredient. The loose mix is best chilled before shaping, but it is essential to chill it again for a half-hour or so (longer is better) before cooking. When cold, the cakes will hold together, and once the egg, the binding agent, does its work, they will retain their shape until attacked with a fork.

Featured in: THE MINIMALIST; Crab Cakes That Let The Crab Stand Out

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Ingredients

Yield:4 crab cakes

1pound fresh lump crab meat
1egg
1tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2tablespoons flour, more for dredging
2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or neutral oil, like canola or grape-seed
4tablespoons butter (or use a total of 4 tablespoons oil)
Lemon wedges

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Gently combine crab, egg, mustard, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons flour. Cover mixture, and put in freezer for 5 minutes. Shape mixture into 4 hamburger-shaped patties. Line plate with plastic wrap, and put crab cakes on it. Cover crab cakes with more plastic wrap, and refrigerate them for about 30 minutes (or as long as 1 day), or freeze for 15 minutes.
Step 2
Put flour for dredging in a bowl. Combine oil and butter in 12-inch skillet, and turn heat to medium. When butter melts and its foam subsides, gently dredge a crab cake in the flour. Gently tap off excess flour, and add crab cake to pan; repeat with remaining crab cakes, and then turn heat to medium-high.
Step 3
Cook, rotating cakes in pan as necessary to brown the first side, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn, and brown the other side (it will take slightly less time). Serve cakes hot, with lemon wedges.

Ratings

4 out of 5

267 user ratings

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Comments

Ed Curcio4 years ago

There was an identical recipe for “crabby crab cakes” in the Washington Post about 35 years ago and I have been making them ever since. I have found they stick together more firmly with two eggs and four tablespoons of flour. I will also add two or three tablespoons of panko breadcrumbs if the crab is a bit wet. I also freeze them for 10 minutes before frying. All in all a classic recipe!

Reuel5 years ago

I suggest Panko crumbs instead of flour. Otherwise this is spot on.

islaygirl4 years ago

These were perfect. Followed another commenter’s suggestion and added panko. Family ate every bite.

Susan H5 months ago

I use my silicone food storage bags. People cooked for centuries without plastic wrap. Let's wean ourselves off.

timing1 year ago

Brown about 5 min per side Cover pan Into 325 oven Internal temperature 165

Mari1 year ago

Made a mustard-based vinaigrette for the cakes as I didn’t have a lemon wedge and the acidity worked perfectly with these cakes.

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