Crab Cakes

Crab Cakes

You don’t have to live in Maryland, New Orleans, or Florida to enjoy crab dishes, and nothing delights the palate more than a lightly seasoned crab cake. Purists will insist that they be fried, which often accounts for oil-clogged patties that are loaded with more bread than crab. The true tests for me are texture and taste.

Too much bread gives a crab cake a doughy composition. Too many spices overpower the delicate flavor of the crabmeat and give rise to the suspicion that the crab tastes fishy. If your obstacle is finding fresh crabmeat, consider the canned variety. It works just as well in the recipe below. Just make certain that it’s the real thing, not the simulated variety now on the market.

Baking makes these easy to prepare. They freeze well, too, but you won’t have to worry about that, as there are never any leftovers.

Recipe

• 3 pounds (48 ounces) of crabmeat
• 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons dry mustard
• 3/4 cup diced pimentos
• 1 cup diced bell pepper
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 1/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Dash of black pepper

Separate and flake the crabmeat with a fork. In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, eggs, mustard, seasoning, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Blend into this dressing all other ingredients, except the bread crumbs. Fold in the crumbs. Shape crab mixture into 4-ounce cakes.

Place on baking sheet and in a 425-degree oven. Bake until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with honey-mustard dressing, or another sauce. Makes 8 servings.

Mary A. Mitchell likes to collect recipes and prepare food for friends.

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