Description
Ina Garten’s elegant crab cakes blend fresh lump crabmeat with delicate seasonings, creating a Maryland classic that delights seafood enthusiasts. Crisp exterior and tender interior promise a memorable dining experience you’ll savor with each delectable bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ lb lump crabmeat (drained and picked to remove shells)
- 2 extra-large eggs (lightly beaten)
- 6 tbsps unsalted butter
- 3/8 cup (6 tbsps) olive oil
- ½ cup plain dry bread crumbs
- ½ cup good mayonnaise
- ¾ cup small diced red onion (1 small onion)
- 1 ½ cups small diced celery (4 stalks)
- ½ cup small diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)
- ½ cup small diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)
- ¼ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tsps Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp capers (drained)
- ¼ tsp hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)
- ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ tsps crab boil seasoning (Old Bay)
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Vegetable Sauté: Melt butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium-low heat, then gently sauté red onion, celery, and bell peppers until they become soft and translucent, about 15-20 minutes.
- Flavor Infusion: Enhance the vegetable mixture with parsley, capers, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, crab boil seasoning, kosher salt, and black pepper, stirring to distribute evenly. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Crab Preparation: Delicately separate crabmeat into small pieces, removing any shell fragments. Combine with bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, and eggs, gently folding to maintain the crab’s delicate texture.
- Mixture Assembly: Incorporate the cooled vegetable mixture into the crab mixture, fold gently, then refrigerate for 30 minutes to help the cakes maintain their shape.
- Cake Formation: Using clean hands, shape the chilled mixture into small, uniform 2-inch diameter cakes.
- Cooking Process: Heat a blend of butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Carefully place crab cakes in the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes per side until achieving a golden-brown, crispy exterior.
- Serving Preparation: Transfer cooked crab cakes to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil, then keep warm in a preheated 250°F (120°C) oven until ready to serve.
Notes
- Prep Like a Pro: Dice vegetables uniformly for even cooking and balanced flavor distribution.
- Chill for Success: Refrigerating the mixture helps bind ingredients and prevents crab cakes from falling apart during cooking.
- Gentle Handling Matters: Fold ingredients delicately to preserve the crab’s tender texture and avoid breaking the meat.
- Perfect Browning Technique: Use medium heat and avoid overcrowding the pan to achieve a crispy, golden-brown exterior without burning.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Dinner
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 400 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 180 mg