Lump crab meat, the kind often called for in recipes, can be expensive when you’re land-locked in Southwest Virginia as winter sets in. At the local grocery store I’ve seen lump meat at $12 for a half-pound and even higher. But there is a comparable and cheaper alternative: backfin. Read more of the essay…
Yields 4 large cakes
Ingredients: 1 pound backfin crab meat, pasteurized or fresh
1/2 cup panko or dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely diced
3 or 4 scallions, white and green parts minced
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
Peanut oil for frying (3-4 tablespoons)
Instructions: Gently toss crab meat with bread crumbs, parsley, onions, Old Bay and salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, lightly beat eggs and stir in mayonnaise. Very gently fold the wet mixture into the dry, keeping lumps intact. Cover a serving platter with plastic wrap. Divide the crab mixture into fourths, gently shaping into round cakes. Place on the plastic-covered plate and cover with another sheet of plastic wrap. Place cakes in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Chilling helps keep the cakes from falling apart when they are fried. The uncooked cakes can be held in the coldest part of the refrigerator for up to two days.
Heat peanut oil in a 12-inch or larger frying pan on medium heat until the surface is shimmering. Lightly dredge each chilled crab cake in flour on both sides before laying them in the hot oil. Fry on medium heat for about 7 minutes or until they brown, and turn. Cook for another 7 minutes, or until internal temperature measured with a meat thermometer registers 165 degrees.
Crab cakes can also be sprayed with cooking spray and baked in a 350-degree oven until they reach 165 degrees, then browned under the broiler.
Serve with potato salad and a green vegetable. Recipe will feed four generously.
Tags: crab cakes, Old Bay seasoning
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