THE INFINITE WAYS OF MAKING CRAB CAKES

Baltimore Crab Cakes
San Francisco Crab Cakes
New Orleans Crab Cakes
Remoulade Sauce ~ Lemon Caper Dill Sauce ~ Spicy Mango Sauce

Do you know what makes crab cakes absolutely delicious? The crab! Too much of anything else in your crab cake takes away from that sweet decatent flavor of the crab. They are so easy to make you don’t have to wait to have someone serve them up to you in a restaurant. Plus, they freeze nicely. Freeze them on a baking sheet. Put your frozen cakes in a ziploc bag, ready for you whenever you want. You can even make them smaller for the perfect appetizer.

There are a few things that definitely define a Crab Cakes acceptance into the Crab Cake Hall of Fame. The first is the ratio of dry ingredient (panko crumbs or crackers) to crab meat. It’s not meant to be a burger patty. It needs to flake when you take your fork to it. Using too much filler will make for a very boring Crab Cake. Second is the type of crab you use. Lump crab is the number one choice. Its smaller pieces of Jumbo crab with some white meat from the crabs body. You get the decadent sweet flavor of jumbo crab without the price tag of Jumbo. You can also make a very nice crab cake by including some less expensive grades such as Backfin Crabmeat or Claw Crabmeat. But keep in mind, Claw Crabmeat has a stronger flavor and a darker color. Including too much will make for a more economical Crab Cake but will affect the flavor and look.

Then onto the other ingredients: There’s the east coast and the west coast; each with their own style and their own crab (Dungeness Crab on the east coast, Blue Crab on the west coast). Rumor has it that a Maryland Crab Cake aficionado wandered into New Orleans and shared his love for Crab Cakes. Now New Orleans has its own style too. Whether you liked a crab cake or not may also have to do with which style of cake you like. Keep in mind I am using the word “style” very liberally. No matter where you’re at in this country, you fill find crab cakes created in every imaginable way.

Once you find the style of crab cake you like, you can make your own Hall of Fame Crab Cake. Mix up the seasonings, the vegetables, the dry ingredients. If you use a nice crab meat and keep the ratio of dry ingredients in check, you’ll be the next Crab Cake aficionado in Northern Michigan!