The Best Crab Cakes

Name: The Best Crab Cakes
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 355 milliliters panko-style bread crumbs; 2 larges eggs, divided; 4 servings Kosher salt; 1 recipe Extra Tangy Tartar Sauce or lemon wedges for serving; 454 grams fresh lump or jumbo lump crab meat, picked over; 2 Tbsps mayonnaise; 3 Tbsps unsalted butter; 3 Tbsps canola or vegetable oil; 2 Tbsps chopped chives, tarragon, parsley, or a mix (optional)

The Best Crab Cakes

The Best Crab Cakes is Head to the store and pick up lemon wedges, vegetable oil, jumbo lump crab meat, and a few other things to make it today. To use up the eggs you could follow this main course with the Rose Levy Beranbaum's Chocolate Tomato Cake with Mystery Ganache as a dessert. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes approximately 2 hours.

Instructions

Combine crab, mayonnaise, herbs (if using), and 1 egg in a large bowl and fold gently with a spatula until combined, being careful not to break up the large lumps of crab.

Ingredients you will need

Mayonnaise

Herbs

Crab

Egg

Equipment you will use

Spatula

Bowl

Place a sheet of aluminum foil roughly 12- by 18-inches on a work surface with the short end parallel to the edges of the table.

Equipment you will use

Aluminum Foil

Transfer crab mixture to the foil, forming it into a rough log about 6 inches wide, starting about 4-inches from bottom of foil.

Ingredients you will need

Crab

Equipment you will use

Aluminum Foil

Carefully lift bottom edge of foil and lift it over the crab log.

Ingredients you will need

Crab

Equipment you will use

Aluminum Foil

Roll the log away from you until it is completely wrapped in foil, then twist the ends to form a tight roll 6- to 8-inches wide and 3- to 4-inches in diameter.

Ingredients you will need

Roll

Equipment you will use

Aluminum Foil

Place log on a tray or plate and transfer to the freezer until lightly stiffened, 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the log from the freezer and using a sharp chef's knife, slice off one of the twisted ends.

Equipment you will use

Chefs Knife

Remove crab mixture from inside twisted end and reserve. Slice the log into 4 to 6 individual disks about 1 1/2-inch thick each.

Ingredients you will need

Crab

Transfer the disks (with their foil) to a rimmed baking sheet cut-side down.

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Aluminum Foil

Combine any crab mixture removed from twisted ends and form into a free-form crab cake and place on tray along with foil-wrapped disks.

Ingredients you will need

Crab

Equipment you will use

Aluminum Foil

Transfer to freezer until disks are relatively stiff, about 20 to 25 minutes longer.

Place remaining egg in a small bowl and beat until homogenous.

Ingredients you will need

Egg

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Place bread crumbs in a second small bowl. Working one crab disk at a time, lift by grasping the foil-lined edges. Dip one cut surface in egg, then in bread crumbs, pressing down gently to adhere. Return to baking sheet, cut-side down and repeat with remaining disks (including free-form disk).

Ingredients you will need

Breadcrumbs

Crab

Dip

Egg

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Bowl

Aluminum Foil

Adjust oven rack to 6 inches below broiler element and preheat broiler to high.

Equipment you will use

Oven

Heat oil and butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat until foaming subsides.

Ingredients you will need

Butter

Cooking Oil

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Add crab cakes, breaded side down and cook, swirling occasionally, for 3 minutes. Carefully peel off foil from each cake using your fingertips, without lifting the cakes. Discard the foil. Continue cooking, swirling pan occasionally until underside of crab cakes is light golden brown, about 2 minutes longer (check underneath with a thin flexible metal spatula, but be careful not to break crab cakes, they will be fragile)

Ingredients you will need

Crab

Equipment you will use

Spatula

Aluminum Foil

Frying Pan

Grasp the handle of the pan and tilt it towards you so the fat collects in the bottom. Use a spoon to baste each cake with fat, making sure that it is completely coated, then transfer skillet to broiler. Broil until light golden brown on top and crab cakes are cooked through (an instant read thermometer inserted into their center should register 145 to 160°F), about 5 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Crab

Equipment you will use

Kitchen Thermometer

Broiler

Frying Pan

Remove from oven.

Equipment you will use

Oven

Transfer the crab cakes breaded-side-down to a paper towel-lined plate. Flip crab cakes and season with salt.

Ingredients you will need

Crab

Salt

Equipment you will use

Paper Towels

Serve immediately with Extra Tangy Tartar Sauce or lemon wedges.

Ingredients you will need

Lemon Wedge

Tartar Sauce

Equipment

Ingredients

Servings:

355milliliters

panko-style bread crumbs 2larges

eggs, divided 4servings

Kosher salt 1

recipe Extra Tangy Tartar Sauce or lemon wedges for serving 454grams

fresh lump or jumbo lump crab meat, picked over 2Tbsps

mayonnaise 3Tbsps

unsalted butter 3Tbsps

canola or vegetable oil 2Tbsps

chopped chives, tarragon, parsley, or a mix (optional)

Recommended wine: Chardonnay, Muscadet, Riesling

Chardonnay, Muscadet, and Riesling are my top picks for Shellfish. Buttery chardonnay is great for scallops, shrimp, crab, and lobster, while muscadet is a classic pick for mussels, oysters, and clams. If you've got some spice in your shellfish, a semi-dry riesling can balance out the heat. The Xavier Monnot Bourgogne Les Grandes Coutures Chardonnay with a 4.2 out of 5 star rating seems like a good match. It costs about 30 dollars per bottle.