(Today's post brought to you by the letter "c")I have two problems with most crab cakes. First, they usually have mayonnaise. Being a little dutch boy, I should go crazy for them. Unfortunately, my genetics aside, I can't stand the stuff. I find it revolting; gag-reflex triggeringly so. Second, they're usually filled out with quite a bit of- well- filler. I'm talking about bread crumbs here. Which taste nothing like crab- what's the point?
When I found Mark Bittman's carb-free, anti-mayo recipe for crabby crab cakes, I was instantly smitten (and Amy loves the name Crabby Crab Cakes). (In fact, to digress a moment, something I always appreciate in a recipe is a little 'literation). As it turns out, this is also a top chef dish. Double whammy! (Plus, Amy loves watching "Deadliest Catch"). (Triple whammy, in fact). (And she's not had crab cakes before). (The whammies, they are HOT tonight)!
Overall, the cakes weren't really all that bad. I didn't care for them very much, but I think I was mostly disappointed that they weren't fabulous. We tossed around a few ideas such as adding bacon or onion or dill to the cakes. It didn't seem like it at the time, but with some careful handling, they actually held together fairly well. Perhaps if they had been a bit colder going in to the pan, or if I had drained them of more liquid, we would have had even better results. On the other hand, Amy thought they were pretty good, which means we get to have crab again soon (swoon)!
Crabby Crab Cakes
(Adapted from Mark Bittman's Crabby Crab Cakes)(Serves 2)
8 ounces canned crab meat (2 6 ounce cans)
1 egg white
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour, for dredging
1 lemon
2 tbsp parsley
Combine crab, egg white, dijon, salt and pepper with a tablespoon of flour. Divide in half and flatten each half. Freeze for at least 15 minutes or overnight.
Place cakes in regridgerator to thaw. Heat butter in a skillet until melted and foamy. Sprinkle cakes on both sides with a tablespoon of flour. Add the cakes to the pan and fry until browned. Flip and repeat with other side.
To serve, place cakes on plate, garnish with torn parsley and sprinkle with fresh lemon juice.
