Description
Crispy Maryland crab cakes feature delicate jumbo lump crab meat baked to golden perfection. Local ingredients and zesty meyer lemon aioli create a coastal classic you’ll savor with pure coastal delight.
Ingredients
Scale
- 0.5 lb (226 g) cooked jumbo lump crab
- 1 cup (240 ml) good quality mayonnaise
- 3 tbsps real mayonnaise
- 0.25 cup (40 g) finely chopped celery
- 0.25 cup (40 g) finely chopped red onion
- 0.25 cup (40 g) finely chopped red pepper
- 0.25 cup (30 g) panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsps fresh chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped basil
- 0.25 tsp Dijon mustard
- Zest of 0.5 lemon
- Meyer lemon juice or regular lemon juice, fresh
- Old Bay seasoning, to taste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Flavor Preparation: Whisk mayonnaise with Meyer lemon zest and Old Bay seasoning until smoothly blended, creating a robust aromatic base.
- Ingredient Integration: Gently fold diced celery, red bell pepper, red onion, parsley, basil, and panko breadcrumbs into the mayonnaise mixture, maintaining ingredient structure and preventing over-mixing.
- Crab Incorporation: Delicately mix lump crab meat into the seasoned blend, ensuring meat remains intact while evenly distributing flavors, then season with salt and pepper.
- Chilling Process: Refrigerate the mixture for 20 minutes or briefly freeze for 10 minutes to solidify texture and enhance flavor cohesion.
- Molding Technique: Compress the chilled mixture into a 3-inch ring mold, filling nearly to the top to create compact, uniform crab cakes with structural integrity.
- High-Heat Roasting: Position filled molds on a lightly oiled baking sheet and roast in a 500°F (260°C) oven for 8 minutes, achieving a golden, crispy exterior.
- Resting and Plating: Allow crab cakes to rest momentarily after roasting, then artfully arrange on a platter spread with Meyer lemon aioli, showcasing their most attractive side.
- Final Flourish: Drizzle additional aioli, garnish with fresh parsley sprigs, and sprinkle a dash of Old Bay seasoning to elevate presentation and flavor profile.
Notes
- Chill for Cohesion: Refrigerating the mixture helps bind ingredients and prevents crab cakes from falling apart during baking.
- Gentle Handling Matters: Fold crab meat gently to preserve delicate texture and prevent breaking the precious lumps.
- Mold Magic: Using a ring mold ensures uniform shape and compact structure for perfectly structured crab cakes.
- High-Heat Transformation: Blazing 500°F oven creates crispy exterior while maintaining tender, moist interior.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 315
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 400 mg
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 13 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg