Crabcakes

Jimmy’s Famous Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes Crab Cakes are a luxurious food. Great Crabmeat is to be treated with a certain reverence.

So don’t try to stretch the crabmeat by adding more filler or buy less expensive crab, it just won’t work. I recommend using Jumbo Lump Blue Crab from the Chesapeake Bay. If this is unavailable then use the best you can find but if you’re not happy with the raw ingredient then wait until you can place a special order for the “good stuff”. Don’t be shocked, good Jumbo Lump can cost upwards of $30 per pound or more. Frozen Crab is perfectly fine but it will be a bit watery when defrosted so drain it carefully.

INGREDIENTS: 2 lbs Jumbo Lump Blue Crabmeat 6 Scallions, finely chopped about 3/4 of the way down the green part 3 Tbsp Chopped basil 4 tsp Old Bay seasoning 3-6 Tbsp Fine breadcrumbs (use just enough to have the cakes start to bind) 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise or homemade aioli 2 Large eggs Salt and Pepper 1) Pick over the crabmeat to remove any shells. Be gentle, the lumps of crab are delicate and will fall apart. Set aside.

2) Mix together the mayonnaise, Old Bay, scallions, basil, and egg.

3) Pour mayo mixture over the crabmeat and with you hands gently mix together.

4) Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the crab mixture and continue to mix.

5) Divide the mixture into four parts and mold together the cakes (do not rinse off your hands; the mixture on your hands helps the cakes stay together).

6) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.

7) Smear the Crab Cakes with a miniscule amount of olive oil and sear in a skillet or on a griddle top until golden brown on both sides. The cakes have such little binder that you need to be careful when flipping them over so that they don’t fall apart.

8) Place the pan in the oven for about 5 minutes or so to heat through.

9) Variation: I prefer to use a grill with really good hardwood briquette or mesquite. You’ll need a special rack accessory that can be found in any store that sells grills. I use a rack with little holes so the crab won’t fall through into the fire. Make sure that the rack is well seasoned or the crab will stick to the grill. If you’re good with a grill then go for it.

10) Serve with a red cocktail sauce or a flavored (I use basil) mayonnaise.