Maryland Crab Cakes with Quick Tartar Sauce

When you live in Maryland, eating Chesapeake blue crabs is practically a religion—and, in my family, we are all loyal devotees. Every summer, we hit all of our favorite crab shacks, from local joints all the way to dives on the Eastern shore, where you can look out over the Bay and put your feet in the sand. I’d never attempt making steamed blue crabs at home (live crabs, giant steamers—yikes!) but I do often make crab cakes, which are just as delicious and so much easier to prepare, not to mention eat. The key is to use fresh lump crabmeat and to go light on the filler. These have just enough filler to bind the crabmeat together and also add great flavor. I love them with the quick tartar sauce below, but you could also serve them with lemon wedges or cocktail sauce.

The most important thing when you’re making crab cakes is to use fresh, good quality lump crab meat. I get mine at Whole Foods, which can be expensive, but one pound is enough to make six generous crab cakes (or 12 mini ones), which feeds my family of four easily.

Shape into 6 crab cakes (about ½ cup each) and place on prepared baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This is really important to help the crab cakes set.

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CRAB CAKES

• 2 large eggs
• 2-1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup finely diced celery, from one stalk
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 pound lump crab meat (see note below)
• 1/2 cup panko
• Vegetable oil, for cooking

FOR THE QUICK TARTAR SAUCE

• 1 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
• 1-1/2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon minced red onion
• 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
FOR THE CRAB CAKES

1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.
2. Combine the eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, salt, celery, and parsley in a large bowl and mix well. Add the crab meat (be sure to check the meat for any hard and sharp cartilage) and panko; using a rubber spatula, gently fold the mixture together until just combined, being careful not to shred the crab meat. Shape into 6 crab cakes (each about ½ cup) and place on the prepared baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This helps them set.
3. ............................................

for full instruction please see : www.onceuponachef.com

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