Not The Knowing One

A friend was talking about salmon patties the other day and I got a serious jones for them.  They’re pretty high in the calorie department though, and canned salmon is always a bit iffy in my book.  Instead, I spent a rather ridiculous amount of bank on some good crab meat and came up with these crab cakes. They are not at all bready. Instead, they are very tender, full of crab, quite light, and extremely delicate.  I used MUCH care in moving them around, and they still very nearly fell apart, so don’t try this if you feel impatient.

It’s rare that something turns out exactly as I originally envisioned it, but this recipe did the trick.  Make sure to use the half and half mixture of lump/claw meat.  The lump is the more flavorful, sweet tasting type of crab meat, but using only that, the cakes would never stay together. The stringier claw meat provides more cohesion to them. Also, the vegetables and herbs were minced tiny tiny tiny. Don’t use a food processor though, or they’ll be too watery. I served the crab cakes with a dollop of the creamy dill dressing I’ve posted before.

½ pound lump crab meat
½ pound crab claw meat
½ small red onion, minced
½ red bell pepper, minced
¼ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup chopped green onion
3 tbs prepared brown mustard
1 tbs mayo
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 tsp paprika
Kosher salt/ Cracked Pepper
1 tsp red chile flakes
1 roasting pan with rack. Cover the rack with tin foil and poke lots of holes in it with a fork.

Combine all the ingredients, using a fork, into a barely cohesive mixture. Be careful not to completly break up the lump crab.  In a big cast iron skillet, heat to medium enough canola oil to cover the bottom of the pan plus a tad (maybe ¼ cup). Form each patty with your hands, packing them well, then place them on a metal spatula and slide them into the oil.  Allow the cake to fry about 1-2 minutes, flip, then fry another 1-2 minutes.  They will just brown in the oil.  Very carefully remove them from the skillet and slide them, using another spatula, onto a cutting board lined with paper towel.  Place the covered roasting rack upside down on the lightly fried cakes. Invert the cutting board so that the cakes are now resting on the rack, remove the board and peel off the paper towel. Place the rack with the crab cakes on the roasting pan.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until golden brown.  Allow to them to cool for about 5 minutes before you try to serve them.