Baltimore-Style Crab Cakes

Having spent a few years in Charm City, we are proud to have made Baltimore-style crab cakes.

What makes these crab cakes special is that they use jumbo lump crab meat, some light breading, and little filler. This version was popularized by Andrew Zimmern, who strives to let the crab speak for itself. His commentary describes this [recipe] succinctly...

"This is my favorite crab cake recipe. If you don’t overmix, and don’t pack your mounds too tightly, you will experience pure, unadulterated crab cake heaven. I like ones that don’t have a lot of filler, no minced red pepper, no parsley—none of the usual crap that chefs typically ruin a good crab cake with. I make these in double batches and put the leftovers in the fridge. If you haven’t eaten a cold crab cake on toast with sliced tomato and Russian dressing, then you’re missing out."

Dan's Version and Comments

 Pita crackers instead of saltines. Solid idea. 

 Use chesapeake bay crabs if you can. The fresher and lumpier the better. 

 The dressing, which uses worcester, hot sauce, dijon, and mayo.

Serve with lemon wedge.

 B'Oh Yeah!

 Bonus: apple pie thanks to Vicky

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This dish was blackout amazing. I have had some crab cakes in my day, but this literally tops all of them. 

I used pita chips as a substitute for Saltines. I don't know whether this altered the flavor, but it was still good. A little tip, use Panko bread crumbs as a coating, gives a nice crunchy exterior while preserving the inner juicyness of the crab. 

Given the somewhat 'mushy' feeling of crab, it should be paired with something crunchy. I recommend a cole slaw. The asian cole slaw from week 1 is a great accompaniment, plus it is light, which is greater for preserving that summer beach bod. 

Mo's Version and Comments

 Given limited circumstances, I had only canned crab available. None of the good jumbo lump stuff. *Sniffle*

 Easy way to crush the saltines is by putting them in a bag...

 ...and smashing them to bits with a pot or bottle. 

 The mix. Let it cool in the fridge so it keeps form while cooking.

Despite using only the canned stuff, the dish turned out quite tasty. It was definitely cakier and less flaky/lumpy than it should have been. 

This is a great recipe because it lets the crab shine through and doesn't muddle the flavor with an excess of herbs and spices. Use the freshest crab you can find-- you won't be sorry. Serve simply with lemon, greens, and maybe some tartar sauce or hot sauce. Maybe a dash of Old Bay seasoning for tradition's sake...

Thanks for reading. Next week!