Report: What Makes a Perfect Crab Cake?

[bavila]

What's so great a great about crab cakes? And how do you make them even

greater?

In response to the gauntlet thrown down in this [link] topic, Busboy, aka Charles Sweeney, and I are hosting the great crab cake cookout at the Busboy residence in DC's Mt. Pleasant neighborhood on the afternoon of August 26, at 3 PM. Everyone in the Chesapeake Bay watershed is convinced that they and they alone have the perfect crab cake recipe, we aim to compare and contrast the infinite variations of this summer delicacy to discover the perfect recipe and technique - or at least to argue about it over beer and soda on a (we hope) lovely summer Sunday.

This event is BYOC and BYOB: bring your own crab for final assembly in the somewhat cramped Busboy kitchen, and bring your own fa vorite crab-oriented beverage. We'll supply soft drinks, corn and tomatoes. And non-crab-cookers -- everyone, actually -- are invited to bring a side dish of their choice.

Kids are invited and parents interested in coming into town for the day should note that the house is a quick walk from the National Zoo.

We're looking forward to a relaxed, fun and illuminating afternoon where you can show your stuff or just relax on the last weekend before Labor Day. Everyone is invited, including friends, spouses and otherwise, but space limitations mean that we'll have to cap the event at 20 people, first come, first served.

This is also an eGullet fundraiser, so we will be asking a contribution of $10 per person.

For further details, please PM Charles or myself.

Yours in crabbiness,

Bridget

LEGAL STUFF:

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN ORGANIZED THROUGH EG FORUMS BY MEMBERS BUT IS NOT SPONSORED BY THE EGULLET SOCIETY FOR CULINARY ARTS AND LETTERS OR EG FORUMS. YOUR PARTICIPATION IN ANY EVENT OR ACTIVITY ARRANGED ON OR DISCUSSED IN EG FORUMS IS AT YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE RISK. BY USING AND PARTICIPATING IN THE FORUMS YOU AGREE AND UNDERSTAND (1) THAT IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR PARTICIPATION IN ANY EVENT OR ACTIVITY, YOU MAY BE EXPOSED TO A VARIETY OF HAZARDS AND RISKS ARISING FROM THOSE ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS; (2) TO THE FULLEST EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW, YOU AGREE TO WAIVE, DISCHARGE CLAIMS, RELEASE, INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS THE SOCIETY, ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, AGENTS, AND OTHER PARTNERS AND EMPLOYEES, FROM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY ON ACCOUNT OF, OR IN ANY WAY RESULTING FROM INJURIES AND DAMAGES IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH ANY SUCH EVENTS OR ACTIVITIES. YOU AGREE AND UNDERSTAND THAT THESE TERMS WILL BE BINDING UPON YOU AND YO UR HEIRS, EXECUTORS, AGENTS, ADMINISTRATORS AND ASSIGNS, AS WELL AS ANY GUESTS AND MINORS ACCOMPANYING YOU AT THE EVENTS.

[Busboy]

In addition to the crab-tasting, a local restaurant has re-sparked my interest in beer (drowned by the 26 million Budweisers I drank between 18 and 25) and so I'm hoping that someone with a little more background in suds will drop by with a selection to mix and match.

[Busboy]

Still plenty of room left!

[Vicious Wadd]

Still plenty of room left!

←

Busboy: Good luck with the crab cake cook off. My wife turned deathly allergic to shellfish when she entered her 30s, so crab cakes don't make it to the table much in my house! Anyway, I had pretty good success with a crab cake recipe from Wine Spectator (you could probably find it in the archives on their web site). In short, the key was to use as much pure lump crab meat as possible, little to no filler, and handle very gently (I recall they were roasted in the oven to avoid death by spatula). They were finshed with a beurre blanc, if I recall correctly.

One thing that will be interesting to see is the prevelance of Old Bay in the various recipes people bring. I like the taste of it actually, but a little goes a long way.

Don't know what beers to recommend. I can say, however, that when it comes to wine, viognier is a KILLER with crab meat.

Best,

- VW

[Busboy]

Still plenty of room left!

←

Busboy: Good luck with the crab cake cook off. My wife turned deathly allergic to shellfish when she entered her 30s, so crab cakes don't make it to the table much in my house! Anyway, I had pretty good success with a crab cake recipe from Wine Spectator (you could probably find it in the archives on their web site). In short, the key was to use as much pure lump crab meat as possible, little to no filler, and handle very gently (I recall they were roasted in the oven to avoid death by spatula). They were finshed with a beurre blanc, if I recall correctly.

One thing that will be interesting to see is the prevelance of Old Bay in the various recipes people bring. I like the taste of it actually, but a little goes a long way.

Don't know what beers to recommend. I can say, however, that when it comes to wine, viognier is a KILLER with crab meat.

Best,

- VW

←

We finish our patented "yuppie crab cakes" with a buerre blanc; I'm thinking a viogner would indeed be a perfect match -- preferably a Virginia producer, to keep the whole thing local.

[Vicious Wadd]

←

[LittleChef22]

What's so great a great about crab cakes? And how do you make them even

greater?

In response to the gauntlet thrown down in this [link] topic, Busboy, aka Charles Sweeney, and I are hosting the great crab cake cookout at the Busboy residence in DC's Mt. Pleasant neighborhood on the afternoon of August 26, at 3 PM. Everyone in the Chesapeake Bay watershed is convinced that they and they alone have the perfect crab cake recipe, we aim to compare and contrast the infinite variations of this summer delicacy to discover the perfect recipe and technique - or at least to argue about it over beer and soda on a (we hope) lovely summer Sunday.

This event is BYOC and BYOB: bring your own crab for final assembly in the somewhat cramped Busboy kitchen, and bring your own fa vorite crab-oriented beverage. We'll supply soft drinks, corn and tomatoes.  And non-crab-cookers -- everyone, actually -- are invited to bring a side dish of their choice.

Kids are invited and parents interested in coming into town for the day should note that the house is a quick walk from the National Zoo.

We're looking forward to a relaxed, fun and illuminating afternoon where you can show your stuff or just relax on the last weekend before Labor Day. Everyone is invited, including friends, spouses and otherwise, but space limitations mean that we'll have to cap the event at 20 people, first come, first served. 

This is also an eGullet fundraiser, so we will be asking a contribution of $10 per person.

For further details, please PM Charles or myself.

Yours in crabbiness,

Bridget

LEGAL STUFF:

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN ORGANIZED THROUGH EG FORUMS BY MEMBERS BUT IS NOT SPONSORED BY THE EGULLET SOCIETY FOR CULINARY ARTS AND LETTERS OR EG FORUMS. YOUR PARTICIPATION IN ANY EVENT OR ACTIVITY ARRANGED ON OR DISCUSSED IN EG FORUMS IS AT YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE RISK. BY USING AND PARTICIPATING IN THE FORUMS YOU AGREE AND UNDERSTAND (1) THAT IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR PARTICIPATION IN ANY EVENT OR ACTIVITY, YOU MAY BE EXPOSED TO A VARIETY OF HAZARDS AND RISKS ARISING FROM THOSE ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS; (2) TO THE FULLEST EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW, YOU AGREE TO WAIVE, DISCHARGE CLAIMS, RELEASE, INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS THE SOCIETY, ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, AGENTS, AND OTHER PARTNERS AND EMPLOYEES, FROM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY ON ACCOUNT OF, OR IN ANY WAY RESULTING FROM INJURIES AND DAMAGES IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH ANY SUCH EVENTS OR ACTIVITIES. YOU AGREE AND UNDERSTAND THAT THESE TERMS WILL BE BINDING UPON YOU AND YO UR HEIRS, EXECUTORS, AGENTS, ADMINISTRATORS AND ASSIGNS, AS WELL AS ANY GUESTS AND MINORS ACCOMPANYING YOU AT THE EVENTS.

←

This sounds like so much fun! I love crab cakes!

[mhberk]

Just thought I'd point out that the Food Network's Throwdown With Bobby Flay is showing its crab cake showdown tonight at 10:00. He's throwing down with a couple of guys from Maine (what do they know about crab cakes anyway?).

This looks like it will be a great time! Unfortunately, Mrs. mhberk and I are taking Roberto Donna's Risotto class the day before in Virginia and that's about all the driving a pregnant Mrs. mhberk can handle from Columbia in a weekend. I'd be interested in future events though.

[Busboy]

Just thought I'd point out that the Food Network's Throwdown With Bobby Flay is showing its crab cake showdown tonight at 10:00.  He's throwing down with a couple of guys from Maine (what do they know about crab cakes anyway?).

This looks like it will be a great time!  Unfortunately, Mrs. mhberk and I are taking Roberto Donna's Risotto class the day before in Virginia and that's about all the driving a pregnant Mrs. mhberk can handle from Columbia in a weekend. I'd be interested in future events though.

←

We look forward to having you at one or more! We are baby tolerant. And I come with a built-in babysitter.

For anyone else out there, space is available and -- even if you're not coming -- any commentary on creative side dishes is welcome.

[DTBarton]

Unfortunately, I'm out of town this weekend and can't make the crab cake fest. With respect to creative side dishes, I thought I'd share one of my recent favorites with crab cakes (or barbecue or anything else).

First, get some hominy. I like to use dried hominy from the Amish market in Annapolis. Use 4 parts water to one part dried hominy, add a good dose of salt and simmer covered for about 3 - 4 hours until the hominy swells up and is tender. Be careful about bringing the heat up slowly and use a big pan. if you crank it up right away you can get a nasty starchy boil over.

If you use canned hominy, rinse it thoroughly in a colander to remove excess saltiness and "canny" taste.

Heat some vegetable oil and butter in a large non stick skillet. Saute the hominy thoroughly with diced onions and diced chile peppers. I use mostly mild ones like pablanos and anaheims, you can add hotter ones to taste. Don't stir too much as you're trying to get some nice browning on the hominy. Don't do more hominy in one batch than will cover the bottom of the pan in a single layer. A little chili powder and cumin is a nice addition, but not too much.

Serve hot, warm, or room temp.

[mhberk]

Just thought I'd point out that the Food Network's Throwdown With Bobby Flay is showing its crab cake showdown tonight at 10:00.  He's throwing down with a couple of guys from Maine (what do they know about crab cakes anyway?).

This looks like it will be a great time!  Unfortunately, Mrs. mhberk and I are taking Roberto Donna's Risotto class the day before in Virginia and that's about all the driving a pregnant Mrs. mhberk can handle from Columbia in a weekend. I'd be interested in future events though.

←

We look forward to having you at one or more! We are baby tolerant. And I come with a built-in babysitter.

For anyone else out there, space is available and -- even if you're not coming -- any commentary on creative side dishes is welcome.

←

I might have to take you up on that! Any chance of a future risotto get together?

[hjshorter]

I might have to take you up on that!  Any chance of a future risotto get together?

←

Sounds great! I'd be willing to host that one.

[Busboy]

As usual, I got too caught up in the cooking and entertaining to take a decent quantity of pictures or accurate notes, but I think this celebration of the Chesapeake Bay's signature savory was a smashing success.

By my count we had six variations on the theme, none of which -- surprisingly -- involved even the merest whiff of Old Bay. HJShorter made Thai-style cakes with a piquant peanut sauce and some noodle-y side thingies; Co-host and co-conspirator Bridget Avila (bavila) brought husband Richard, two delightful children and a slew of "classic" cakes topped with a red pepper alioli; C. Sapidus (aka Bruce), Mrs. Sapidus, (aka Carol) and their teenagers brought crabcakes that got eaten before I got to try them, so I don't know what they were, and a stunning salad that involved nuts; and I made "French" crab cakes with a buerre blanc and "Salvadoran" crab cakes with a mango salsa. Mrs. Busboy made a peach crisp and I made some honey-vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Various other folks showed up, contributing wit and wine, including Barbara and Craig and an excellent Riesling; my buddy Matt, whom we're trying to get signed up and who contributed a very swell gazpacho; renowned agriculturalist Mark Toigo, his trusty sidekick Vas and Marnie, Mrs. Vas who gave us all the corn and peaches we could eat.

As usual with any gathering with which I am associated, things got a little too anarchic to do a serious study of, for example, what beverage best accompanies which crab cake, and I still don't know if Bridget found out "what's so great about crab cakes," but I thought the afternoon answered that question with a fairly persuasive "everything." Matter of fact, with a little respect for the product and light hand on the seasoning, it seems to a pretty perfect little food item. Heathers were baked (?), Bruce's were broiled, Bavila's were sauteed in butter and mine fried in oil,. We had big ones, little ones, spicy ones and mild ones and each was delish in their own way. I think Bruce made a fairly compelling case that even yuppie crab cakes go better with beer, even though I'm more of a wine guy, myself, and thought the Albarino showed quite well. (I thought the pinks, which we had in profusion, didn't go as well, but I drank them anyway).

The truest testimony to the quality of the food is the presence or absence of leftovers, of which there weren't many. I'm a little hurt that the only crab cakes left were mine. I'd like to think that that was because they came out last, not because my culinary genius was less than others'. At any rate, I consoled myself by eating the penultimate cake for breakfast in between and English Muffin, washed back with an unpronounceable white wine from the Basque region (OK, kidding about the wine). In fact, after having feasted gluttonously on crab cakes for four hours yesterday, I woke up this morning aching for more.

******

Pretty much everybody deserves thanks for making a great event, though the C. Sapidus's get an extra shout-out for driving in from Frederick and the Avila's deserve and extra, extra shout-out for coming in from Annapolis and making a particularly generous contribution to the Society.

And, indeed, while no-one's going to go to culinary school on what we raised, the generous support of all who attended (even Toigo and Vas, who were told that as farmer-rock-stars they didn't have to pay the cover charge) will allow us to send a modest contribution to eGullet World Headquarters, as soon as I track down a finally check from an office-mate who promised to contribute despite missing the event himself.

Let's do this again.

I'm going to post some recipes below and hope that others who brought food will do the same -- especially Bruce, since I didn't get to taste his.

[monavano]

*kicking myself in the butt* Gawd, that sounds good! I'm not going to miss the next one. Great job, Busboy.

Any chance for recipe postage?

[hjshorter]

Thanks, Charles for hosting a swell event. My favorite cakes were Bruce's, so you missed out. And the homemade tartar sauce was delish.

Small correction: my hors d'oeuvre sized cakes were sauteed in peanut oil, not baked.

"Thai" Crab Cakes (these taste like gussied-up Tod Mun):

1/2 a 3.5 ounce package of rice crackers, ground into crumbs

1 lb. jumbo lump crab

3 egg whites, beaten

2-3 hot red chilis, minced

2 shallots, minced

1/4 c. cilantro, minced

4 kaffir lime leaves, minced

2 T. fish sauce

2 T. lime juice

a little mayo to bind

Gently combine. Cook a small piece, then adjust seasoning if necessary. Sautee in peanut oil until golden on both sides. Makes about 2 dozen two-bite crabcakes.

Cilantro-Peanut Sauce:

1/4 c. rice wine vinegar

2 T. granulated sugar

3 T palm sugar

2-3 T. fish sauce

1/2 t. crushed red pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c. finely chopped dry-roasted peanuts (unsalted)

1/2 c. cilantro, finely chopped

1/4 c. mint, finely chopped

Taste for seasoning, and add up to 1/4 t. salt if necessary.

Edited August 27, 2007 by hjshorter (log)

[monavano]

Those peaked my interest the most. Thanks so much for posting the recipe Heather. I'll let you know how they turn out!

Edited August 27, 2007 by monavano (log)

[Busboy]

Bridget's crab-cake recipe and the recipe for "Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Aioli" is here.

I actually took notes while whipping up mine, but they got lost in the clean-up. I knew doing dishes was a bad thing! These should be pretty accurate, though.

"French" Crab Cakes

1 lb crab meat.

1 egg

6 tbsp heavy cream

loose 1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

1 tbsp garlic

3 tbsp (or more) shallots

1/4 tsp salt or to taste

panko or bread crumbs or smashed Ritz Crackers

Reduce cream by half in small saucepan over medium heat, beat the egg and add egg and cream to the crab with everything else save the panko and oil and mix by hand, gently but thoroughly.

Form the crab cakes to whatever size and design you find aesthetically appealing. Coat with panko.

Pour enough oil into a skillet to reach about half-way up the crab cakes' sides. Heat on high until just smoking.

The crab cakes are very fragile at this point and must be handled with care or they will break into bits. Using a spatula, gently set them in the hot oil, turn the oil down to medium. Flip once the bottom gets brown and they are firm enough to handle.

Serve with a buerre blanc. If you're feeling sassy, make a lime buerre blanc by using lime juice instead of vinegar. Or throw in a little wasabi. Heck of a sauce, actually, that buerre blanc.

Note: if one of the crab cakes collapses like an Italian governing coalition, let the pieces fry until crisp, scoop them out with a slotted spoon and eat them yourself without telling anyone. The are delish.

"Salvadoran" Crab Cakes

1 lb crab meat.

1 egg

2 tbsp Crema Centroamericano (check the dairy section of your local bodega)

1 tbsp garlic

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 teaspoon chili powder

dash or three hot sauce

1/4 tsp salt or to taste

Smashed Ritz crackers

oil

Mix the cumin and coriander together and roast in a dry saucepan until the kitchen starts to smell really good, and there's just a whiff of visible smoke. Beat the egg. Mix everything but the Ritz Crackers in with the crab, gently but thoroughly. (You may want to hold back a little on the spicing and taste the concoction first, crab being easily overwhelmed).

Form the crab cakes to whatever size and design you find aesthetically appealing. Coat with Ritz.

Pour enough oil into a skillet to reach about half-way up the crab cakes' sides. Heat on high until just smoking.

The crab cakes are very fragile at this point and must be handled with care or they will break into bits. Using a spatula, gently set them in the hot oil, turn the oil down to medium. Flip once the bottom gets brown and they are firm enough to handle.

Serve with mango salsa. There are a lot of recipes around, but for going up against a relatively spicy crab cake I like simple stuff: Chopped very ripe mango, finely diced red onion, lime juice, chopped fresh cilantro, a couple of pinches of sugar and a dash of salt, all tossed together with reckless abandon.

[rosebud]

I only tried FIVE of the kinds of crab cakes--didn't realize there were SIX. That Busboy's were the only ones left had to do with the fact that they were last. I personally voted for his "French" ones, followed closely by Heather's "Asian" version.

Carol's salad, however, was a revelation and I would particularly like her recipe.

[bavila]

Bridget's crab-cake recipe and the recipe for "Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Aioli" is here;

←

I would note that I used a sweet and hot mustard rather than dijon (I was out -- how do I run out of dijon mustard?), but I think the substitution was swell.

And Charles, if I hadn't been in round-the-children-up mode, I would have scarfed down some of your cakes. Didn't quite make it to them. Were you kidding about the wine being Basque? I'll only drink Californian wines for breakfast, personally.

Thanks to our gracious hosts, the Sweeneys, and to Charles for a top-notch report.

As for future events, I'd be happy to host a gumbo/Louisiana cuisine event, Maybe a crawfish boil next May or June...

[Busboy]

I only tried FIVE of the kinds of crab cakes--didn't realize there were SIX.  That Busboy's were the only ones left had to do with the fact that they were last.  I personally voted for his "French" ones, followed closely by Heather's "Asian" version.

Carol's salad, however, was a revelation and I would particularly like her recipe.

←

And you might slide us a recipe of that excellent cheese torte (?) you brought. I apologize for not mentioning it in the original report; it was excellent and I have carefully preserved the leftovers for my own consumption.

Were you kidding about the wine being Basque? I'll only drink Californian wines for breakfast, personally.

There was some Basque wine around, but I don't think we got into it until after the crab cakes were done. Too bad, I bought it thinking that it would go well with some of the bolder efforts.

You guys, by the way, are lightweights. I think we have enough wine and beer left over for another party tonight.

[hjshorter]

Lightweights?

I thought the rose and the cremant de Bourgogne were good choices for my spicy cakes.

Edited August 27, 2007 by hjshorter (log)

[hjshorter]

Note: if one of the crab cakes collapses like an Italian governing coalition, let the pieces fry until crisp, scoop them out with a slotted spoon and eat them yourself without telling anyone.

I nabbed one of these while Charles was taking the others out to the dining room. My God.

[C. sapidus]

First of all, thanks to the gracious hosts, efficient organizers, and delightful guests. We had a wonderful time. Charles, I enjoyed both of your crab cakes and sauces even though they were competing with your ice cream and Mrs. Busboy’s delicious peach crisp. The mango sauce was particularly swell, so thanks for posting the recipe.

I have never eaten so many delicious and varied crab cakes before, so picking a favorite would be like asking whether I prefer to breathe in or breathe out. By my usual criteria, bavila’s crab cakes scored highly because they had the biggest hunks of crab (and sauteing in butter didn’t hurt, either). Heather’s cilantro-peanut sauce deserves special mention – I could eat that every day of the week (and since she posted the recipe, probably will ).

I will try to get Mrs. C to codify her never-the-same-way-twice salad, perhaps this evening. I am a relative newbie at making crab cakes, so both of my versions were straight out of John Shields’ Chesapeake Bay Cooking (click for web links):

Gertie's Crab Cakes (clicky) (which did have a hint of Penzey’s Old Bay clone, plus a little smoked paprika). These held together nicely despite very little filler, causing a shift of allegiance from my previous method . . .

. . . . Faidley's World-Famous Crab Cakes (clicky). These have a bit more filler than Gertie’s, but I wanted to be sure that at least one batch of crab cakes did not fall apart.

For the tartar sauce (recipe in Faidley’s link), I made my first-ever batch of homemade mayonnaise, with The Way to Cook guiding me through the process uneventfully. I did tart up the tartar sauce a bit, adding chopped cornichons, capers, and chives.

The chile-tamarind sauce started from a recipe in Victor Sodsook's True Thai, but I have fiddled with it enough to post here:

2-3 Tablespoons oil

1 head (not clove – head) garlic, peeled and finely chopped or mashed in a mortar

2-3 Tablespoons chile-tamarind paste (or more if you are feeling reckless)

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

6 scallions, cut into short sections

2 Tablespoons palm sugar

¼ cup chicken stock, preferably Asian-style

1-2 Tablespoons fish sauce

cilantro and/or Thai basil to taste

Heat a wok to medium-high, swirl in the oil, and stir-fry the garlic until fragrant. Add the chile-tamarind paste and stir-fry briefly (um, make sure you have a good hood fan). Add the chicken stock and palm sugar and stir-fry until the sugar dissolves. Add the bell peppers and scallions and stir-fry briefly. Add the fish sauce, bring to a boil, and turn off the heat when the texture and soupiness are to your liking. Let the sauce cool a bit, then adjust the sweet-salty balance with sugar and/or fish sauce. Garnish with cilantro and/or Thai basil.

Yes, do let's do this again.

[DTBarton]

I'm in for the Gumbo / LA thang if we're in town.

[rosebud]

Ask and ye shall receive:

Click

Edited August 28, 2007 by rosebud (log)