Crab Cakes with Tartar Sauce

As you probably know by now, I am not fan of seafood.  But I can appreciate that others do.  I adapted a recipe I found to make what my Aunt Honey says are the best crab cakes she has ever had.  That is a huge compliment! 

I use canned crab meat.  Even when I go to the fish market, they hand me a can of crab.  The only way to get crab otherwise is to buy crab legs and dig the meat out yourself.  I find it not worth it.  The canned crab is excellent if you buy from a company you know.  I use Phillips Jumbo Lump Crab Meat and this is the meat my family says tastes the best. 

The tartar sauce must be made from scratch.  It has some of the same ingredients as the crab meat so it makes chopping easier and complements the cakes with familiar flavors.  The sauce from the jar does not compare to this recipe.  The sauce should me made one day in advance for best results.  If you cannot wait that long, make it 2 hours (at least) in advance.

Here is how to do it:

Makes 8 cakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cracker meal, plain bread crumb or panko bread crumb, divided into 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 beaten egg
1 TBS fresh chopped chives (from the garden is freshest)
1 TBS spicy mustard
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 tsp hot sauce
1 lb jumbo lump crab meat

Directions:

Combine 1/4 cup cracker meal, mayo, egg, chives, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay and hot sauce.  Mix well to combine.

The ingredients I use

All the ingredients ready to mix

Mixed thoroughly and ready for the crab

Add crab meat.  Fold in the meat gently, you do not want to break up the meat.  The large pieces are what make it good. 

Canned Crab meat.  It is found in the refrigerated section

Let it sit.

Let it sit for at least 5 minutes.  If you have the time, let it sit overnight, the flavors come together better.

Make the mixture into 8 cakes.  I use an ice cream scoop to ensure they are all the same size.  Be careful not to break up the meat.

Place the remaining 1/2 cup cracker meal in a shallow bowl.  Coat the cakes in the meal and let them sit for at least ten minutes.

Fry the cakes in vegetable oil.  This can be done in a frying pan, 3 minutes each side.  Be careful they do not fall apart when flipping.  Or you can deep fry them for 3 minutes with the oil at 350 degrees.  They cook evenly and do not break up.  The crust is crispy and the inside is hot and cooked. 

Serve the cakes with tartar sauce and lemon.

Tartar Sauce

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 TBS fresh chopped chives
1 TBS chopped gherkin pickles (about 1 pickle)
1 TBS plus 1/2 tsp pickle juice from the pickle jar
1 TBS capers, go over them with a knife once to break them up, no need to rinse them
3/4 tsp caper brine
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl.  Let sit for 2 hours or overnight for best results.

Chopped Chives

Pickles

One pickle is all you need. 

Chopped pickle

Capers.  Run your knife through them once to break them up but retain their structure

Tartar sauce is all ready. Let it sit for best results.