Crab – “Held Together Politely”

Credit goes to Chef Darius at The Weeknight Table

Minimalist ingredients are what let the true star of any crab cake shine brightly. The dome shapes that get baked instead of fried make these beauties truly different and appealing. As Chef Darius says: "These are not crab cakes made with crab... This is crab... held together politely." ENJOY!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb jumbo lump crab meat, picked over very carefully
• 1 lge egg
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup crushed saltine crackers (measured after crushing)
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• fresh parsley, very finely chopped - optional
• 1.5 tsp Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• pinch of kosher salt only if needed
• 1 stick salted butter - use as a tool to put a good base in the baking dish - not the whole stick

Preparation:

In a large bowl, gently whisk together the egg, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon zest, lemon juice, Old Bay, and black pepper until smooth. If using parsley, fold it in lightly.

Add the crushed saltines and stir just until incorporated. The mixture should look loose — this is a binder, not filler.

Carefully fold in the jumbo lump crab meat using a spatula or just your hands, lifting and turning gently to keep the lumps intact. The mixture should barely hold together when lightly pressed. If it feels too loose, add 1 tablespoon more crushed saltines — no more.

Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the crab mix to firm up. Set your oven to 400 F.

Coat an oven proof skillet with butter. Form the mix into four large dome shaped crab cakes, packing just enough to hold together without compressing the crab. Set the domes in the cool pan and place the baking dish in the oven. Do not press them down. Bake for about 15-20 minutes for a light golden brown finish with the crab heated through.

Serve hot with lemon wedges and a vegetable of your choosing.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Crab Cakes with Old Bay Aioli

  Full credit for this dish goes to The Weeknight Table.

There are crab cakes and then there are crab cakes. This recipe is designed to leave out most of the common fillers so that the crab may shine as the star of the dish. In this particular version the crab cakes are dome shaped and baked. On their website they feature the same ideas but in pan seared patties. Either way..... The minimalist approach will have you grinning with every bite. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat, picked over very carefully
• 1 lge egg
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup crushed saltine crackers (measured after crushing)
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• fresh parsley, very finely chopped - optional
• 1.5 tsp Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• pinch of kosher salt only if needed
• 1 stick butter - use as a tool to put a good base in the skillet - not the whole stick

Preparation:

In a large bowl, gently whisk together the egg, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon zest, lemon juice, Old Bay, and black pepper until smooth. If using parsley, fold it in lightly.

Add the crushed saltines and stir just until incorporated. The mixture should look loose — this is a binder, not filler.

Carefully fold in the jumbo lump crab meat using a spatula, lifting and turning gently to keep the lumps intact. The mixture should barely hold together when pressed. If it feels too loose, add 1 tablespoon more crushed saltines — no more.

Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the crab mix to firm up. Set your oven to 400 F.

Coat an oven proof skillet with butter. Form the mix into 4–6 large dome shaped crab cakes, packing just enough to hold together without compressing the crab. Set the cakes in the cool pan and place the skillet in the oven. Do not press them down. Bake for about 10 minutes for a light golden brown finish with the crab heated through.

Serve hot with Old Bay aioli and lemon wedges.

Old Bay Aioli

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 small clove garlic, grated or paste
• 1.5 tsp Old Bay seasoning
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Preparation:

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Taste and adjust lemon or Old Bay as needed. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes before serving.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!