First off, Chef Paul uses a seasoning mixture approach so there is a lot of different spices going into a single mixture that’ll be used throughout the cooking process. Second, after making a similar dish of tuna croquettes that had binding issues, I’ll probably be playing with the binder combination (eggs, cream and breadcrumbs) a bit.
With that in mind, here is the recipe for Maryland Crab Cakes adapted from Chef Paul Prudhomme’s recipe:
Hardware:
- small bowl for seasoning mixture
- 10″ & 12″ skillet
- medium sized mixing bowl
Software:
Seasoning Mix
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp dried sweet basil leaves
- 3/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
Crab Cakes
- 5 cups bread crumbs – use fresh bread
- 7 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cups chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 cup clam juice
- 1 lb crab meat
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup heavy cream
Sauce
- 2 cups heavy cream, divided
- 1/2 cup green onion tops
- 1 cup vegetable oil
Preparation:
Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl.
Toast 3 cups of the bread crumbs in a 12″ skillet over high heat, shaking pan occasionally, until the crumbs are light brown – 5 to 6 minutes. Remove crumbs and set aside.
Return skillet to high heat and add butter, onions, bell pepper, and celery and cook, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables start to brown, about 6 minutes. Stir in 2 tbsp of the seasoning mix, 1/2 cup of parsley, the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and garlic and cook over high heat unti the mixture is sticking to the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes. Add the clam juice, scrape up the crust on the bottom of the skillet and remove from the heat.
Place the breadcrumbs in a medium mixing bowl. Add the crab meat and the remaining seasoning mix, 1/2 cup of chopped parsley, the vegetable mixture from the skillet, eggs, and cream. Stir gently to combine. Remove 1/2 cup of the mixture and set aside. Refrigerate the remaining mixture for 1.5 hours.
For the sauce, combine 1 cup of the cream and reserved 1/2 cup of crab mixture in a 10″ skillet over high heat. Cook, whipping constantly with a whisk for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 1 cup of cream and cook 2 minutes. Add the green onions and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally - about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.
To finish, remove the crab mixture from the refrigerator and heat oil in 10″ skillet over high heat. Place the remaining 2 cups of breadcrumbs in a bowl. Measure out 1/2 cup of the crab mixture and form it into a cake. Dredge it in the crumbs. Repeat with the remaining mixture to form 8 cakes.
When the oil is hot, add 4 of the cakes to the skillet, lower the heat to medium and fry until browned, about 3 minutes each side. Drain on paper towels. Return the heat to high and repeat with remaining cakes.
