You have to know, that if I were a descendant of the Rockefellers, I would eat fresh crab at least once a week. I’d pick up a half pound of it, just for me, (I’ll explain why later) and eat it straight out of the container. No lemon, no tartar, no drawn butter, no nothin’! Just straight from the container to my mouth.

But we were not blessed with wealthy parents. Actually, maybe we were extremely blessed not to be raised with our every little wish fulfilled. It could go either way! Regardless (and no, I don’t care if it’s now OK to say irregardless, I ain’t gonna murder the English language even for the sake of being well informed), I’m just not predisposed to frequently spend that much of our hard earned money on fresh crab just for myself! And so that you won’t think too ill of me for buying fresh crab just for myself, allow me to explain. I don’t think Mr. C. would give a flying fig if I never again served him another crab dish. Well, with two wonderful exceptions – Crab Bisque (the best first course tomato soup you could ever imagine passing over your taste buds and sliding down your throat) and these crab cakes. That’s it. Well as far as I know, that’s it! There could be another dish just waiting to be discovered that he might enjoy. But if there is, I sure haven’t found it yet! (And yes, the Crab Bisque recipe is on this site.) Anyway, we both love these crab cakes. They are easy to prepare, and guess what, you can actually taste the crab. So that leads me to my next comment.

If you want to experience a really good crab cake, then bite the bullet and buy good crab. It certainly can be canned crab, but not the cheap brands that contain what I call fuzzy crab. Treat yourself. Pay the money for a good product. Then add the few simple ingredients listed below, and you will have the pleasure of dining on a truly delicious way to eat this lovely crustacean. After all, the recipe comes with Mr. Cs seal of approval.    

And crab cakes are very versatile. They make a delightful first course if you make them tiny and serve a couple on a bed of lettuce with a bit of sauce dribbled all around. And of course, they are a great entrée when accompanied by a creamy risotto and a crunchy cabbage slaw, for example. However you choose to serve these babies, they are sure to be loved.

So as always, don’t forget to treat yourself once in a while. After all, life is short and we all need a bit of pampering to keep us going. Even all of us who are the primary cooks in our family. Most of us tend to put our spouse or our kidlets first. And most of the time, that’s fine. But every so often, we should go crazy and think of ourselves first. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go add a half pound of crab to our grocery shopping list. Then I’m going to eat it all by myself! (And not feel guilty!)

Peace and love to all.  

1 lg. egg

¼ c. mayonnaise

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

dash hot sauce

freshly ground black pepper

1½ tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

1 T. finely minced fresh parsley

10 finely crushed saltine crackers

1 lb. lump crab meat

½ – ¾ c. plain dry bread crumbs

1 -2 T. unsalted butter

Whisk the egg, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, black pepper, Old Bay Seasoning, and parsley together in a mixing bowl. Fold in the cracker crumbs and crab. (Be gentle, you don’t want to break up the crab meat.) Mixture will be very wet and messy at this point. Not to worry, the cakes will firm up nicely as they cook.

Spread the bread crumbs in a small shallow container. (I use an 8-inch cake pan.) Using a #10 (3/8 cup) ice cream scoop, carefully plop balls of the crab mixture on top of the bread crumbs, a couple at a time. Carefully roll the balls in the bread crumbs and place on a wax paper lined plate. Press lightly to smush them down a bit.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before frying.

When ready to serve, heat butter in a large heavy skillet. Fry cakes over medium heat until dark golden brown and heated through, about 4 minutes per side. Serve with Spicy Seafood Sauce, Lemon Garlic Aioli, or sauce/aioli of choice. (See highlighted recipes below.)

SPICY SEAFOOD SAUCE

½ c. mayonnaise

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

freshly ground black pepper

1 T. finely minced fresh parsley

1 T. finely chopped fresh chives

Whisk mayonnaise, lemon juice, Old Bay Seasoning, and pepper together in a small bowl. Fold in the parsley and chives.

LEMON GARLIC AIOLI

¾ c. cup mayonnaise

1 tsp. grated lemon rind

3-5 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, finely minced

¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper 

Mix it all together. Taste and adjust seasoning.