Maryland Style Crab Cakes

Living in Maryland, Crab is everywhere-"picking" or eating crabs is a favorite pastime in the summer...where adults are encouraged to wear a bib, eat with their hands, get food on the table, pound on the table, throw their leftovers in a pile, generally make a mess...and have a great time!  Crab is also seen on menus in other forms-crab dip, crab pretzels (one of my favorites), crab soup, and of course, crab cakes.  I will be honest when I say that crab cakes aren't my favorite-in terms of crab, I prefer crab soup or crab pretzels and in terms of seafood, I'd rather order mussels, lobster, clams or shrimp instead.  But I wouldn't be a true Marylander if I didn't eat the occasional crab cake.

This version by Martha Stewart (who is not from Maryland but hey, she knows her food) is one of my favorites.  Matt, who is a crab cake lover, loved these as well. They are really not difficult to make and make for a special meal  and are quite versatile-you can eat them on their own or great for eating outside as a sandwich.  You could also make these smaller and serve them as an appetizer.

Maryland Style Crab Cakes

1 pound small-size fresh crabmeat, such as special or claw
1 pound large-size fresh crabmeat, such as jumbo lump or backfin
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons), plus wedges, for serving
1 large egg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup fine saltine crumbs (from about 30 crackers)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Tartar Sauce

Heat broiler, with rack 4 inches from heat. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. Keeping each pound of crabmeat separate, turn out onto paper towels; pick through to remove any shells or cartilage.


In a large bowl, stir together mayonnaise, parsley, lemon juice, egg, mustard, Old Bay, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.


Add crumbs and small-size crabmeat to mayonnaise mixture; stir well to combine. Gently fold in large-size crabmeat to mayonnaise mixture just until combined. Dividing evenly, form mixture into 8 cakes. (To make ahead: Arrange cakes in a parchment paper-lined container so they do not touch; separate layers with additional parchment. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 day.)


Place cakes on prepared baking sheet; drizzle with melted butter. Broil until golden brown and warmed throughout, 12 to 15 minutes (move to lower shelf if tops brown too quickly). Serve with tarter sauce and lemon wedges.


Source: Martha Stewart