THE ULTIMATE CRAB CAKE

Hi All! I hope this post finds you doing well today. The whole point to my writing this blog is to not only share my experiences in the kitchen with you but also to explore this inner chef inside of me that is fighting to get out. A few months ago, I started off with a really simple recipe and with each post, I have tried to step outside of my comfort zone by challenging myself to do some "real" cooking. A few days ago, I was watching Tyler Florence on The Food Network and he was preparing what he referred to as "The Ultimate Crab Cake." Mind you, I have attempted to make crab cakes several times in the past but they were never blog-worthy. The list of ingredients was so extensive that you would have to take out a loan just to go to the grocery store and the cooking process left a lot to be desired. You wouldn't think that crab cakes would be all that difficult to make and as far the preparation and the actual cooking is concerned, they aren't. The trick is (1) finding just the right combination of ingredients and (2) making sure that while they are brown and crispy on the outside, they are done on the inside.

I absolutely L-O-V-E crab cakes! When no other entree on the menu appeals to me, crab cakes are my safe haven. There is a restaurant here called "Firebirds Wood Fire Grill" and they have a crab cake appetizer that is to die for. They serve it with tortilla slaw and mango habañero chutney.  It was my inspiration for what I have prepared today.

Now getting back to Tyler Florence….
I watched as he made these beautiful and simple crab cakes and I suddenly realized that I had every ingredient on hand except for crab and fresh cilantro. (I know I mentioned in a previous blog that I normally keep crab and lobster on hand but oddly enough, I have lobster but no crab this week. Go figure!) Anyway, I was able to find a copy cat recipe for Firebird's super, incredible crab cake appetizer but I decided to take a chance and see what I could come up with using Tyler's recipe. On the menu today, we have:

Crab Cakes with Fresh Cilantro and Mango Chutney

atop a bed of Homemade Tangy Coleslaw

with a side of Oven Roasted Vegetables.

(Sounds fancy, huh?)

Special Notes:  Try to use fresh crab meat if you can afford it. Anything less would not do your crab cakes any justice. A lot of people prefer to use Remoulade as a topping for their crab cakes but I think Firebirds knew what they were doing by pairing theirs with the mango chutney. It's unique and very flavorful. Also, I did not chop my cilantro as finely as I should have and I used a tad bit more than the recipe called for. It looks like a lot but when it cooks down, you wouldn’t know the difference.  Lastly, if you are interested in trying the mango chutney, here is a link for the recipe that I was intending to use:
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/homemade_mango_chutney/
I ended up using premade chutney from a jar because after pricing the ingredients, I found the premade version to be more cost effective.  (In other words, it was cheaper.) I'm sure it is not nearly as good as freshly made chutney but in a pinch, it worked out fine.

Final Thoughts:  Wow!


Ingredients:

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely minced

4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 1/2 pounds jumbo lump crabmeat
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
(made from 4 or 5 slices white bread with the crusts removed and processed in food processor)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise, plus more if needed
1 large egg white
1/2 lime, juiced
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves, plus whole leaves, for garnish
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:

Make the crab cakes first so they have time to firm up in the refrigerator before you cook them.

Heat a 2-count of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onion gets kind of caramelized.

Dump that into a bowl and fold in the crabmeat, bread crumbs, mayonnaise, egg white, lime juice, and cilantro, mixing just until well blended. Season with salt and pepper. Shape the mixture into 6 fat crab cakes. Put them on a plate, cover, and stick them in the refrigerator to chill.

To serve, heat a 3-count of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the crab cakes and cook for about 4 minutes each side until nice and crisp.

Don't be alarmed by the amount of oil in the pan. 
This is olive oil and after I took this photo,
I distributed it more evenly throughout the pan