I love crab cakes, but they’re one of those dishes that are different every place you go. Lucky for me, the ones I make are my favorite. The recipe I use is one by Emeril Lagasse (BAM!) but I’ve made a few adjustments to my taste. The recipe is layered and a bit involved, but it’s worth every minute. I usually make a big batch and then freeze them – once you defrost and heat in the oven (or toaster oven) they make a yummy dinner without the fuss of making them.  One recipe yields about 10 crab cakes. Read the full story for the recipe, tips and photos.

Crab Cake Mixture Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
1 small yellow onion – finely chopped
3 stalks of celery – finely chopped
1 red pepper – finely chopped
salt
cayenne pepper
3 cloves of garlic – crushed
1 pound lump crabmeat,
4 green onions, green parts only, chopped
1/3 of a bunch of parsley – finely chopped
3 tbsp dijon mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
Worcestershire sauce
Hot Pepper sauce
3/4 cup dried fine bread crumbs

Crab Cake Breading Ingredients
1 cup dried fine bread crumbs
1/2 cup of flour
Emeril’s Essence (you can buy it pre-made at the grocery store)
2 eggs
1 tbsp water
1/4 vegetable oil

Directions
1. Over medium heat, melt butter in a small saute pan. Add onions, celery and bell peppers and season with salt and cayenne pepper. Stir, until vegetables are soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir and cook for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.

2. In a large bowl combine the crabmeat, green onions, parsley, mustard, lemon juice, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce and mix together. Add the vegetable mixture and stir in 3/4 cup of bread crumbs.

3. Set up an assembly line to make the crab cakes. In one bowl, combine flour and Emeril’s Essence. In a second bowl, whisk the eggs with 1 tbsp of water. In a third bowl, combine 1 cup of bread crumbs and season with Emeril’s Essence.

4. Take the crab mixture and mold it into a round patty. Dredge the cake in the flour and tap off the excess flour. Next, dip the cake in the egg wash, and let the excess drip off. Finally, dredge the cake in the bread crumbs, coating the cake evenly and tap off the excess flour. Set aside on a tray and repeat until you’ve used up all of the crab cake mixture.

5. In a large saute pan heat the vegetable oil. Gently lay the crab cakes (3 to 4 at a time – you don’t want to crowd them), and pan fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side. Drain the crab cakes on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

6. Serve with lemon, cocktail sauce, or hot sauce, as you prefer.

Buon Appetito!

Similar Posts:

• Mama’s Kitchen: Spinach & Artichoke Dip
• Mama’s Kitchen: Garlic Knots & White Pizza
• Mama’s Kitchen: Simple Salad
• Mama’s Kitchen: Chicken Piccata, Roasted Rosemary Potatoes & Salad Shirazi
• Mama’s Kitchen: Southern Comfort