From my cookbook… Ann’s Crab Cakes
Crab cakes are pretty much a staple at East Coast restaurants. Think about the last one you had. Did you like it? Now make these, and you’ll never order them out again!
There are over 300 recipes in my recently published cookbook, Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us (Click on the link in Note 1 to get your own copy). Even in these inflationary times, we can prepare delicious meals for our family and do so in a way that does not break the budget. And it’s all in the cookbook!
Ann Ricker’s Crab Cakes
I grew up in Alexandria VA, a suburb of Washington DC. Because of our close proximity to the Chesapeake Bay, we always had fresh seafood. A special delicacy was blue crabs. When I was an older teenager, we would drive over to Maryland to the base of the Bay bridge with some chicken necks and string and just catch them from shore. Sometimes we’d rent a little rowboat, pull out a few feet from the dock in the marina and lower some traps with chicken necks and catch them that way too. So much fun! We’d bring them home, boil them with some Old Bay Seasoning and have a feast. I never knew how good we had it to get fresh blue crabs so cheaply until I moved away. When I was in the Air Force stationed at Shaw, AFB SC, we would drive over to Myrtle Beach and sometimes we would catch crabs there. It was fun, but we never caught as much as we did in Maryland.
Don and Ann Ricker lived down the street and were friends of the family. He was a retired DC fireman, the driver for the back of the ladder truck, or tiller driver. Ann was a homemaker and liked to cook and gave us this crab cake recipe. It’s very old, I’m guessing from the 1960’s and I’ve had to make a few minor changes to update it. She used to make some for us and bring them over and we would have them for dinner. My mom would make some coleslaw to go with them. What a treat!
If you’ve ordered crab cakes in a restaurant, you’ve likely been disappointed. Crab is very expensive and many restaurants, and even home recipes, load them up with filler, usually breadcrumbs. You will notice this recipe uses very little besides the crab that does not contribute to the taste or to hold them together. These are the best crab cakes you will ever eat! Hella’s Greek Restaurant in Millersville, MD had the second-best ones I’ve ever eaten, but they’ve closed.
Crabcakes are a special occasion dish, so you don’t want to load them up with fillers. I buy my crab at Costco, but even then, it was $28.00 a pound, so it is not something you will do often, but you will really enjoy these!
Ingredients
1 lb. blue crabmeat (Note 1)
2 slices white bread, crusts removed
2 eggs, slightly beaten
½ cup finely diced onion (sauteed until soft)
2 ribs celery, finely diced
1 teaspoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning (Note 2)
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup breadcrumbs (Note 3)
Pure olive oil for cooking
Directions
In a glass bowl, whisk the eggs, add bread, and mix until egg is absorbed. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Place breadcrumbs in a pie plate. Heat a skillet with olive oil that just covers the bottom to medium low.
Shape into a ball, a little smaller than a tennis ball. Roll in the breadcrumbs to coat and place in a skillet. Cover and cook, pressing into patties when partially cooked. Flip, repeat, uncovered so the crust is crisp. Do not overcook! Remove from pan when just browned on both sides. They are delicate, so be careful!
Serve with Old Bay, cocktail or tartar sauce, but I like mine with only with some Old Bay on them.
Notes
If you can, buy fresh lump crabmeat. Lump is made up of all parts of the crab and is tastier, like dark meat with chicken. Pick over well for any shell that may be left behind.
The original recipe called for McCormick seafood seasoning. Old Bay is owned by McCormick now.
I use ½ Italian breadcrumbs and ½ Panko. I like the extra crunch of Panko and we still get good flavor.
Gently rewarm leftovers in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes.
Ann’s Crab Cakes
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What’s in it for me?
Good eats, that’s what!
Call to Action
Show someone how much you love them by preparing a delicious meal for them. Later, enjoy the time and money you save by relishing your leftovers, either for lunch at work or dinner at home. Take comfort in knowing you are eating hearty food you prepared. All because you made a good decision to follow the recipes and tips in the cookbook I developed just for you.
Besides getting a copy of the cookbook for yourself, it makes an excellent gift for those you love and care for, especially for those with a young family who are looking to save time and money in the kitchen. And learn a few things in the process! What a great idea!
Recommended Resources
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi (Note 1).
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Notes
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Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/437OhVQ