Love crab cakes, but think it's too hard to make the perfect one at home? Not anymore! Chef Bryan Voltaggio shares his simple AND delicious Maryland Crab Cake Sandwich recipe!
Crab Cakes:
2 pounds / 908 grams jumbo lump crabmeat
4 ounces / 113 grams mayonnaise (I prefer Duke’s)
2 teaspoons / 12 grams Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon / 9 grams Our Bay Seasoning Blend (page 000)
2 ½ teaspoons / 10 grams Worcestershire sauce
3 ¾ teaspoons / 20 grams fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon / 3 grams fine sea salt
6 drops Tabasco sauce
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 large eggs
1 cup / 70 grams cracker crumbs
Tartar Sauce:
1 tablespoon / 14 grams grapeseed or olive oil
¼ cup / 35 grams celery cut into small dice
¼ cup / 35 grams fennel cut into small dice
¼ cup / 35 grams red onion cut into small dice
¼ teaspoon / 1.5 grams fine sea salt, plus extra for seasoning
1 cup / 200 grams mayonnaise (I prefer Duke’s)
¾ teaspoon / 4.5 grams whole-grain mustard
1 cup / 145 grams dill pickles cut into small dice
½ cup / 60 grams capers, rinsed of brine, roughly chopped
¼ teaspoon / 1 gram soy sauce
¼ teaspoon / 2.5 grams red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon / 4 grams chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 ½ teaspoons / 2 grams chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 ½ teaspoons / 2 grams chopped fennel fronds (feathery green leaves of fennel)
Freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning
Clarified Butter:
1 cup / 227 grams unsalted butter
Hamburger Buns
Unsalted butter, for griddling the buns
Serve With:
Iceberg lettuce leaves
Sliced tomatoes
Crispy bacon strips
Form the Crab Cakes:
Put the crabmeat in a bowl and gently pick through it to find and remove any bits of shells and cartilage. Try not to break it up too much as you do this. Put all of the remaining ingredients except for the cracker crumbs in a medium bowl and whisk to blend. Add the crabmeat one-third at a time and use a rubber a spatula to gently fold it in. Be careful to keep the crabmeat in nice big chunks.
Use an ice cream scoop, a ring mold, or a scale to portion the mixture into six 6- to 7-ounce (170- to 198-gram) cakes. (You can also form the mixture into 10 individual 4-ounce (113-gram) cakes and skip the sandwich-making.)
Pour the cracker crumbs into a casserole dish or small baking sheet. Put 1 or 2 cakes in the pan, press them gently into the crumbs, and then flip them over and press them gently into the crumbs on the other side. Gently press crumbs along the sides if they are not already covered. Transfer the cakes to a clean baking sheet and continue coating the remainder in crumbs. At this point, the crab cakes can be covered and refrigerated until you are ready to cook them, up to 6 hours.
Make the Tartar Sauce:
Put the grapeseed oil in a small to medium sauté pan set over medium heat. As soon as the oil begins to shimmer, add the celery, fennel, and onion and season with the salt. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender and translucent but have not started to color. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, dill pickles, capers, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, parsley, tarragon, and fennel fronds. Season to taste with salt and a generous amount of pepper. After the vegetables have cooled, fold them into the tartar sauce. Any extra tartar sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Make the Clarified Butter:
Cut the butter into slices and put them into a 2-cup or larger microwave-safe measuring cup. The butter will rise as it melts and the container needs to be large enough to hold it without being too wide. Set the microwave for 2 minutes, and after 1 minute keep an eye on the butter until you see it melt completely and begin to rise in the container. Stop the microwave when the butter begins rising; there should be a layer of foam on top of the melted butter. If the butter has not melted completely, let the foam subside and then microwave it again for 15 to 30 seconds, without opening the door of the microwave, until it has completely melted and is rising again. Let the butter cool for 5 minutes in the microwave before removing the container. Skim off and discard the foam and transfer to a clean container. Clarified Butter can be used immediately or refrigerated in a covered container until needed, for up to several months.
Cook the Crab Cakes:
Use a large frying pan with a flat bottom. Heat the Clarified Butter slowly over medium heat to 325°F (165°C); use a thermometer to check. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can take one of your leftover wooden chopsticks from the Chinese take-out place and stick it in the oil every so often. When the tip gives off a steady stream of bubbles, you are at the correct temperature.
Using a slotted metal or high-heat-resistant spatula, pick up the crab cakes, one at a time, and slide them into the butter. Be careful not to crowd them or they will not brown evenly. I like to keep 1/2 inch of free space on all sides of every cake. If you need to cook in multiple batches, preheat your oven to its lowest temperature and set a wire rack on a baking sheet inside the oven. Cook the crab cakes for about 2 minutes on each side, or until they are a deep golden brown and heated through. If necessary, slide the finished crab cakes onto the prepared rack and keep them warm in the oven as you cook the next batch.
Once all of the cakes are cooked, spread the insides of each bun with butter. Set a griddle over medium heat and griddle the buns until the interior is crunchy and golden brown. Spread the buns with Tartar Sauce and add a crab cake and any of the serve-with suggestions. Serve warm.
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