We LOVE the 50 nifty United States of this awesome country and believe each state is special. Every Monday we feature a sandwich unique to its state as part of our “50 Sandwiches, 50 States, 50 Weeks” series beginning with Alabama and ending with Wyoming.
We’re chugging along with our series and are now at the great state of Delaware; the home of our current VP of the U.S. This little state may not cover a lot of ground, but it sure does cover some water and out of that water comes an abundance of blue crabs.
These little guys are known for their bright blue legs and pincers and are said by many to be the best crab for crab cakes. Hiya, Mr. Crab. My that is a pretty shade of blue you’re sportin’ as well as some handy paddle-shaped back legs! Those back legs apparently make them pretty good swimmers. Makes sense, huh?
I’m not gonna lie. We do not have much experience with crab, so making a crab cake required a little help from our good friend, Google and that spice rack staple, Old Bay. We didn’t have access to fresh, whole blue crab at the neighborhood grocery store so we used refrigerated lump crab meat from a pouch. Our research showed that crab cakes are best when lump crab is used and the idea is to keep it as lumpy as possible. So in making crab cakes, you don’t want to over mix, or over stir the mixture or you will lose your lump :).
Another thing to note is crab does not bind well. Even with the egg, it easily falls apart and makes it difficult to fry. Putting the cakes in the freezer for about an hour helps it hold together and we had no problem pan frying our cakes in a couple Tbsps. of oil.
I wouldn’t recommend skipping the freezer step. This recipe is easy and results in a nice, crispy and flavorful cake topped with a tangy mayonnaise sauce. Hope you love it!
- 1 lb. lump crab
- 1 egg
- 3 Tbsps. mayonnaise
- 2 tsps. Old Bay
- 7 saltine crackers, crumbled
- 2 Tbsps. chives
- 2 Tbps. oil
- 4 Kaiser rolls
- 6 Tbsps. mayonnaise
- 1 tsp. Old Bay
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- ⅛ tsp. cayenne
- Place crab in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, beat egg and whisk in mayonnaise, Old Bay, crumbled crackers, and chives until combined.
- Pour into crab and very gently mix together avoiding breaking up the lumps of crab.
- Divide crab mixture into 4 equal sections. Using a ½ cup measuring cup fill with a section of the crab mixture and pack into the cup. Plop the molded crab onto a baking pan or dish.
- Repeat the previous step on the remaining 3 sections of crab and place the pan of crab in the freezer for 1 hour.
- After the hour has passed, remove the cakes from the freezer and flatten each one down so they are about an inch thick.
- Heat 2 Tbsps. of oil in a non stick skillet on medium heat. Fry cakes about 5 minutes each side until golden and crispy. Avoid moving them unnecessarily as they are fragile.
- Transfer to a plate and toast up the buns in the same pan adding butter or oil if needed.
- Whisk sauce ingredients together while the crab cakes are in the freezer and store in the fridge. Dollop on each cake.
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