We all know that summer is the season for cookouts and that you can cook almost anything on a grill. Another thing we know is that things cooked on the grill are usually a lot tastier than when cooked in the oven.
However, that doesn’t mean you should have your oven disconnected for the summer because you are never going to need it until the weather turns cold. There are still plenty of things to use the oven for and one of the best summer treats should not be made on the grill. A crab cake will cook easier and taste better by sautéing it.
Yes, you heard me right; there is something that will taste better cooked in the oven than on the grill. When sautéed, the crab cake will get a lot of flavor from the butter that will brown during the cooking process and that flavor will complement the natural sweetness of the crab.
Crab cakes are another one of those things looked at as a delicacy to be enjoyed once in a while when you go out to your favorite restaurant. They can be an appetizer or a main course and are one of the most sought-after summer foods. Crab cakes are easy to make and if you do serve them at one of your summer parties, you can guarantee they will be talked about more than anything you grill.
There are a million ways to serve the cakes. There are many different recipes using a variety of ingredients. The seasonings also are as varied as the other ingredients. It means once again, you can mix and match and use the ingredients and seasonings you like the best.
One great example of this is Old Bay seasoning. Some people will tell you that you can’t possibly make a crab cake or any crab dish for that matter, that’s worth even a taste, if there is no bay seasoning used. This can be both a regional, as well as personal thing.
For me, there are two ways I will prepare crab cakes. The only difference is whether or not I coat them in breadcrumbs and that will depend on the sweetness of the crab, as well as how the ingredients are holding together. The ingredients and the method used are the same.
I like to use as little binder as possible, so keep that in mind when you mix the ingredients. This makes it a harder to keep them together while cooking, but I want to get as much crab flavor as possible and not mask it with filler. I also like the cakes to be light and too much binder will make it heavy and dense. No matter what seasonings you like or whether you coat them in breadcrumbs or not, try making some crab cakes for your next party and enjoy.
Crab Cakes
1 lb. lump crab meat, picked through to remove any shell pieces
1 small red onion, diced small
1 celery stick, minced fine (peel the stringy outside off)
½ red pepper, diced fine
1 t fresh lemon juice
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t hot sauce such as Tabasco or similar
1 T flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 C bread crumbs, plus some for coating
¼ C flour
3 eggs, beaten
Salt & pepper to taste
3 T butter
3 T oil
Sauté the onion and celery in 1 T of the butter, just enough to sweat them a little. Toss that mix with the red pepper, crab meat and parsley. Add the Worcestershire sauce, lemon and Tabasco slowly to taste. Be aware the lemon juice can vary a lot in strength so add a little at a time and go by taste. Add one egg and half the breadcrumbs and test to see if it will hold together. Again, you want to use as little binder as possible. This makes turning them a little harder, but will give you a much better product.
Use a thin spatula rather than a thick plastic spatula. If you are breading the cakes, you will want to bind them a little more tightly. Then dredge in flour, coat with the beaten egg and dredge in the breadcrumbs. Place the oil in a sauté pan and get it hot. Add the rest of the butter once the oil is hot. As soon as the butter is melted, add the cakes.
Sauté until golden brown on the bottom and then flip and place in a 350-degree F oven for about 5 minutes or hot throughout.
