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Post by Don Cuevas on May 20, 2009 19:41:40 GMT
My Mom wanted to be sure we have crab cakes before we leave, so after the usual bargaining, I'll make them as I like. I got a recipe from Teri's Kitchen teriskitchen.com/seafood/crabcakes.html, modified it slightly with some chopped red onion, some sweet red pepper, some Tabasco Sace, a dash of cayenne pepper, some thyme, and pretty much, that's all. We'll see how it works out in about an hour and a half. Maybe there will be photos. On this trip to New Jersey and Connecticut, I've focused on finding the best onion rings, crab cakes, fried whole belly clams, and hamburgers. Everything successful except the last. |
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Post by bazfaz on May 20, 2009 20:43:34 GMT
Alas, no crabs available round here. I do love them.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 20, 2009 20:52:02 GMT
I shouldn't even mention this in the same thread as the ambrosial goodies of the OP, but .......
if you're desperate, you can make an ersatz version with surimi and some canned crab.
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2009 21:13:48 GMT
I have a big block of crab meat in my freezer, and I think it is coming out soon.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 20, 2009 21:37:08 GMT
Gawd, you make it sound like a medical condition!
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Post by hwinpp on May 21, 2009 6:44:39 GMT
How did they turn out? Did you use panko crumbs?
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Post by Don Cuevas on May 21, 2009 11:32:25 GMT
Gawd, you make it sound like a medical condition! Bixa, you cracked me up!  hwinnp: They were delicious. I used Pepperidge Farm Hearty White Bread, decrusted, for the soft white bread crumbs IN the CCs. I did use Panko for the crusty coating, and it worked well. The results were almost worth the aggravation of preparing a meal in the compact space of my Mom's kitchen, my wife extracting china from the dishwasher, underfoot, as I worked, with plenty of the usual kibitzing from my Mom, in the other one. They were delicious, accmpanied by 2 glasses of Pinot Grigio, corn on the cob, salad, green beans, potato salad, and a dessert, which I skipped, of baked bananas. (I ate 2 large crab cakes. The homemade tartar sauce was good. My Mom's improv.) Haven't had the strength to upload the pics from my camera to the laptop yet, etc. (Don't ask!) |
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Post by bixaorellana on May 21, 2009 14:40:02 GMT
I am really confused! I was the first person to reply to this thread -- yammering on about how good it sounded and how we needed to talk about tartar sauce. WHERE did that post go?
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Post by lagatta on May 22, 2009 0:00:46 GMT
I have never had crab cakes; crab cake aficionados say they have to be made from a crab from the US South or Semi-South* (  ) (around Baltimore, DC? sorry, don't really remember). Can you use frozen crabmeat? That should be available in France from (East and Southeast) Asian shops. Perhaps also South Asian shops. *Yes, I know that term is historically wrong. |
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Post by hwinpp on May 22, 2009 5:07:51 GMT
Well, DC's description sounds good. Thanks for the confirmation!
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2009 19:28:53 GMT
Although I did consult the recipe, I improvised crab cakes tonight and they were SPECTACULAR. Besides the defrosted frozen crab meat, I chopped up half an onion and some chives. I had just a little bit of Zatarain's crab cake mix left, so I threw that it, and then I added some crumbs from a dead baguette that I had run through the food processor. I also chopped 3 Thai chilis from the freezer and added them.
Two eggs and some lime juice were added, and I mixed it around. A little bit of Worcestershire sauce. It was still somewhat dry, and I added two tablespoons of mayonnaise. It wasn't looking bad, but I decided to add a 3rd egg. The consistency looked perfect, so I added some salt.
I melted some butter in the frying pan and also a little oil. Since I was using butter, for once I remembered not to turn on the stove too high. I made some patties and rolled them over on a plate of baguette crumbs (a sort of Franco-Panko I suppose). They seemed too loose but firmed up nicely in the frying pan. They became golden but had nice green flecks from the chives and red flecks from the chilis.
I didn't have any tartar sauce, so I mixed some mayonnaise and capers together, and they were an excellent accompaniment.
I just can't follow recipes.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 24, 2009 23:47:25 GMT
Mmmmmm ~~ I think most people improvise with food like this. The mayo was an interesting touch -- probably made it even moister & better, I imagine.
I do like stuffing the mixture into crab shells & baking it. I'm sure it's psychological, but it always tastes crabbier to me that way.
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Post by hwinpp on May 25, 2009 6:25:34 GMT
Very crabby, Bixa! ;D ;D ;D
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2009 6:59:35 GMT
I used to have some crab shells, but I haven't had any for years. Stuffed crabs are much easier to make because you don't have to worry about the filling falling apart when you cook them, unlike crab cakes!
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Post by Don Cuevas on May 25, 2009 10:05:30 GMT
I have some photos here, somewhere. We have barely finished unpacking from our trip. Here they are:  Prepping the cakes.  Slowly frying the CCs  Crusty Cakes of Crabby Crustacea Bring your favorite sauce. |
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2009 10:35:29 GMT
At least you have your priorities right, Don Cuevas!
That's about what my crab cakes looked like.
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Post by Jazz on May 25, 2009 11:34:43 GMT
They look delicious!...I am going to try to make my virgin crab cakes this weekend. Do you suggest a special sauce that you like? I have had them in restaurants a few times but they are only offered with tartar sauce, which I find a touch boring.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 25, 2009 13:59:08 GMT
Jazz, if you use either DonC's &/or Kerouac's crab cakes as a guideline, your crab cakes will be much tastier than any restaurant's. Try them simply with lemon or lime wedges to squeeze on and a straightforward bottled hot sauce on the table in case you want it.
Here's my favorite seafood sauce, although it's really more appropriate for something like raw oysters:
mix bottled horseradish, lemon juice, catsup, bottled hot sauce (optional), and a dash or so of worchestershire sauce.
You can also zing up bottled or homemade tartar sauce with some horseradish and lemon juice.
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) (around Baltimore, DC? sorry, don't really remember). Can you use frozen crabmeat? That should be available in France from (East and Southeast) Asian shops. Perhaps also South Asian shops. 