“After the Boil” Crab Cakes

Plenty of leftovers leave coastal cooks with endless possibilities

Chasing the tides is what dreams are made of this time of year. Rising and falling tides typically produce bountiful yields of fresh seafood such as speckled trout, redfish, shrimp and crabs to name a few.

In the summer months, you can run to your nearest weir or roadside tidal drainage to find numerous other sportsmen crabbing. Crabbing is fun for all ages and is relatively inexpensive, just don’t forget to freshen up on the fishing regulations and purchase the applicable fishing license.

After the catch, it’s time for the boil! There is nothing that says summer better than an ice-cold beer and steamy blue crabs. If your crabbing trip was successful, there will be plenty of leftovers after your boil.

The best part about leftover boiled crabs is the endless possibilities of what you can do next with the succulent and sweet crab meat. I love to turn the leftover crab meat, and some of the sides, into an “after the boil” crab cake. So, grab your turkey necks, twine, and dip nets, and head out to the nearest weir to fill up your ice chest with blue crabs.

Happy Crabbing,

Recreational Chef

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Pound of Picked Crab Meat
• ¾ Cup of Panko Breadcrumbs
• ½ Cup of Leftover Boiled Mushrooms
• 1/3 Cup of Leftover Boiled Corn (removed from the cob)
• ¼ Cup of Red Onion
• ½ Teaspoon Fresh Parsley
• ¼ Cup of Mayonnaise
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
• ½ Tablespoon of Prepared Horseradish
• 1 Tablespoon of Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon of Blackening Seasoning
• 2-4 Tablespoons of Butter for Pan Frying

PREPARATION: Serves 6

1. Carefully pick the meat from the leftover crabs, sifting through the meat to ensure that no shells remain.
2. Mince the leftover mushrooms until they’re the size of a kernel of corn. You will want all your ingredients to be roughly the same size.
3. Remove the corn kernels from the cob by slicing with a knife as close to the cob as possible. Measure out 1/3 of a cup of corn kernels once removed from the cob.
4. Dice your red onions until you have approximately ¼ of a cup.
5. For the parsley, mince it as fine as possible so that the parsley will blend evenly within the crab mixture.
6. Once the vegetables are prepped, place them, the crab meat, and panko breadcrumbs into a bowl large enough to contain all the ingredients.
7. Place the mayonnaise, egg, Dijon mustard, horseradish, rice wine vinegar and blackening seasoning into a mixing bowl and combine until it reaches a sauce consistency.
8. Combine all the ingredients. During this step, do not over mix the crab mixture, this will ensure that some larger pieces of crab meat will stay intact.
9. Prior to forming the crab cakes into patties, cover the crab mixture and place it in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours. This will help the crab mixture firm up and make your crab cakes bind better when you’re making the patties.
10. After the mixture has rested, heat a cast iron skillet to medium heat and place 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan.
11. While you’re waiting for the pan to come to temperature, divide the crab mixture into 6 to 8 round patties with your hands. You want the patties to be about ½ a cup of the mixture.
12. When your pan gets to temp, right before the butter starts to smoke, place the crab cakes in the pan and cook until golden brown. The cooking time should take approximately 3 to 5 minutes per side. Don’t overcrowd the pan; cook them in batches. Once the first batch is finished cooking, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to cook the next batch.
13. To serve, place your crab cake on top of a fresh salad that is dressed with pepper jelly vinaigrette or remoulade sauce. Another tasty option is serving the crab cake as a crab cake burger!

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