Crab cakes with Old Bay: How they do it in Charm City
“I was born in Baltimore, so I take crab cakes seriously,” says comedian Eric Wareheim in his new cookbook, Foodheim: A Culinary Adventure (Ten Speed Press). “You can always tell when restaurants are being cheap by skimping on crabmeat and using too many fillers to compensate.” And then there’s the other common sin: overpowering the delicate taste of the crabmeat with too much seasoning.
I’ve been using this recipe, which gets the balance just right—especially if you like having a hint of Old Bay seasoning for that “classic Bawlmer” flavor. Of course, you should use fresh Chesapeake Bay blue crab when you’re able to get it. It’s an international delicacy—and everyone in Baltimore is extremely proud of it. But during most of the year, jumbo lump crabmeat from a can will do, and Handy is a brand that I’ve come to trust.
Some Bawlmer purists will say tartar sauce is sacrilege. But not me. “I say it’s yum.”
Recipe of the week
‘Bawlmer’ crab cakes with tartar sauce 1 egg
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsbp Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp capers, drained
½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 lb high-quality lump crabmeat
2̸3 cup cracker crumbs, from whole saltines or Ritz crackers
2 tbsp melted unsalted butter
Tangy tartar sauce (recipe below)
Lemon wedges, for serving
In a large bowl, combine egg, mayonnaise, parsley, mustard, Worcestershire, Old
Bay, lemon juice, capers, salt, and pepper and whisk to incorporate. Add crab and cracker crumbs. Using your hands, gently toss everything together, taking care not to break up large pieces of crab. Transfer to refrigerator and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450. Using a pastry brush, brush a little of the melted butter onto a baking sheet. With your hands, gently mold crab mixture into four cakes. Place cakes on prepared baking sheet and paint tops and sides with remaining melted butter.
Place baking sheet in center of oven and bake until crab cakes are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and turn on broiler. Once broiler is heated, return crab cakes to oven and broil 2 minutes. Watch closely so that they don’t burn. Once tops are nicely browned, remove from oven.
Transfer crab cakes to plates, top each with a dollop of tartar sauce, and offer lemon wedges on the side. Makes 4 crab cakes.
Tangy tartar sauce
¼ cup mayonnaise • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard • 1 tbsp minced red onion • juice of ½ lemon • ½ tsp kosher salt • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl, stir together all ingredients. Makes about ½ cup.