Crab cakes

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As I sat down to write this post, I couldn’t figure out whether I had already done a post about crab cakes at some point in the history of this blog. And then I realized that I didn’t care either way because I love crab cakes so very much. Mr. Shuffler is on a quest to find the best recipe out there. This recipe came from Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything”.

Crab Cakes

1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked over for cartilage (I used the equivalent amount of canned crab)

1 egg

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped scallion

1/4 cup mayonnaise (Mark helpfully includes a page reference for making your own…we used the stuff from Loblaw)

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp bread crumbs, preferably fresh, or cracker crumbs, as needed (I ground up some Triscuit black pepper and olive oil crackers in the food processor – perfection!)

About 1 cup all-purpose flour for dredging

Curry powder, optional

2 tbsps peanut, extra virgin olive or vegetable oil

2 tbsps butter or more oil

Lemon wedges and/or Tartar sauce (Note: really good crab cakes don’t need these embellishments)

1. Mix together the crabmeat, egg, bell pepper, scallion, mayonnaise, mustard, and some salt and pepper. Add enough bread crumbs to bind the mixture just enough to form into cakes; start with 2 tbsps and use more if you need it.

2. Refrigerate the mixture until you’re ready to cook (it will be easier to shape if you refrigerate it for 30 minutes or more, but it’s ready to go when you finish mixing).

3. Season the flour with salt and pepper and add some curry powder if you like. Heat a large skillet, preferably cast-iron, over medium-high heat for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the oil and butter and heat until the butter foam subsides. Shape the crabmeat mixture into 1-inch-thick cakes, dredge each in the flour, and cook, adjusting the heat as necessary and turning once (very gently), until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Serve with lemon wedges and/or tartar sauce. Serves 4 (or 2 if one person really, really likes crab cakes)