Maryland Style Crab Cakes

If you’ve been reading my blog, you know that I’ve posted about crab cakes before. First, I tried a mix from Williams Sonoma and then made crab cakes from a recipe that I found in a regional cookbook, which Michael and I both like a lot. I’ve heard a lot about Maryland crab cakes but have never had them before so decided to find a recipe and give that one a try. I found this recipe on the FaceBook fan page of CrabPlace.com. I’ve had this recipe for a few months and decided to wait until I was at Michael’s to prepare it since he is a huge crab cake fan. I planned to make these when I first arrived but unfortunately, I had a run in with a patch of ice and the ice won and I was out of commission for several weeks. The older we are the harder we fall. Today was the first day in over two weeks that I felt like spending time in the kitchen so I got busy and made up for lost time by making crab cakes and Garlic-Herb Mac & Cheese.

Maryland Style Crab Cakes
Print Recipe
4 slices white bread
1 cup milk
2 pounds jumbo lump crab meat
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
2 teaspoons seafood seasoning (I use Old Bay)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (if using dried parsley flakes, use approx. 1 tablespoon)
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
juice of ½ lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
2 eggs, beaten
oil for frying (I sometimes like to use a combination olive oil and butter)

Put bread in bowl, pour milk over it and soak 15 minutes. Squeeze bread fairly dry in your fist, transfer it to a large bowl and break it into crumbs with two forks. Add crab meat, mayonnaise, mustard, seafood seasoning, baking powder and parsley and stir until well mixed. Sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and stir and taste for seasoning. Stir in beaten eggs. Crab cake mixture can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated. To finish, divide mixture into 16 parts and shape into cakes about 1/2-inch thick. (Work gently so cakes are light.) In a large frying pan heat oil and fry half the cakes over brisk heat until golden, about 2 minutes. Turn and brown the other side. Add more oil to the pan and fry remaining cakes.

Approximately 16 crab cakes (depends on how large/small you make them).

Recipe can easily be halved.

**I like to make the crab cakes about an hour in advance and put them in the fridge prior to frying. It helps them to keep from falling apart while frying.

Pour milk over bread and soak for 15 minutes.

Squeeze bread fairly dry in your fist, transfer it to a large bowl and break it into crumbs with two forks.

Add crab

Add mustard and mayonnaise

Then add baking soda, seafood seasoning (I used Old Bay) and parsley. Stir until well mixed.

Sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and stir and taste for seasoning.

Stir in beaten eggs. Once the mixture is prepared you can either cover the bowl and store in the the fridge for up to four hours or form into cakes.

Divide mixture into 16 cakes. After I've done this, I like to cover the platter and put in the fridge for about an hour. I find this helps to keep them from falling apart while frying.

Fry on both sides until golden.

These crab cakes are very different from the ones that I’ve been making and Michael and I both liked them. Now we aren’t sure which we like the best. Guess I’ll have to prepare both recipes on the same day and have a taste test. I'm sure Michael won't object to this. :)