Does anyone cook foolproof crab cakes?

I make these on average about once a year from Dungeness crabs. They're good, but I have a hard time keeping the bread crumbs on, which is what I've been using though my recipe calls for cracker crumbs. Would that make a difference? Is my oil not hot enough?
I'm in a very minor panic; having company next week and this is what my husband wants. I'm fine with the cooking as he'll be cleaning them!
Recipe is basic: crab, egg, salt, mayo, pepper, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and butter.
Any insight or possible additions would be welcome!

But I'll give you a kick. BTW, I think some finely chopped green onions would be good in there, too.

...but I'm at the office right now and can't remember the recipe. It's pretty simple.

work with Dungeness ....... a least I don't see why not.

1 lb Crab meat
1-2 T Mayonnaise
1-2 T Mustard
1 egg
Old Bay© or similar seasoning
2 t Dried parsley
Breadcrumbs (maybe)

Mix the crab, Old Bay, parsley, mayo and mustard. Fold more than mix so as to allow the crab not to break up too much.

Beat the egg and add to the mixture. Fold in

Assess the consistency. If it holds together and is on the dry side, no need for the breadcrumbs. If it falls apart easily and is on the wet side, add the breadcrumbs. (Note, these are NOT to be made dense like croquettes - they should be light and loose)

Form into balls about 1/4 cup each. (No need to measure, just estimate.)

Place the balls on a sheet of foil set into a sheet pan. Flatten them out just a bit. They should be about half as high as wide.

Broil them. This is waaaaaay better than frying or sauteeing them.

They will need about 10 or 15 minutes under the broiler. You want the top all brown and bubbly. If broiling, there's no need to turn them. Since the crab is already cooked, you're only cooking long enough to get an internal temperature of 160 degrees or so. No need to use a thermometer, just guess. The egg, as it sets up, will act as a glue. You'll see the cakes start to spread and flatten. When they stop spreading, the eggs have set, so they're cooked and the internal temperature is now about right. At this point, you're just going for the golden crusty top.

edit to add: You asked for a foolproof recipe. This is it. Bulletproof. The secret is in broiling them. The less you handle a crab cakes, the better. And being broiled, and not fried, you taste **crab** not cooking oil.

will be broiling!

which he had given me a link for a while back, but the link has gone bad.

I did end up using just a little bread crumbs. On the site, it said to refrigerate the crab cakes for 6 hours before cooking them. The first time I made them, I only refrigerated half the batch for 2 hours, and the rest went overnight (because I am impatient!). The overnight ones definitely held their shape better.

You can also freeze them. But you must thaw them completely to cook them. If you don't, the outside will be fully cooked and the inside could still be cold - or even icy.

I have made then twice since! :loveya:

For the second time in 10 days.

Maryland crab cakes

a little butter
1 med onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup sourdough breadcrumbs
1 lb crabmeat, flaked (in practice, I shoot for at least this much)
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp Old Bay or Cajun seasoning
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
a few Tbsp light cream
1/2 cup flour (just dump some on a plate)
oil for frying (I have never gotten the same crispness under the broiler, sorry H2S!)

Saute the onions in butter until soft and translucent. Mix the onions with the breadcrumbs, crabmeat, eggs, salt, mustard, Old Bay, Worchestershire sauce, and a Tbsp or two of cream. Mix well and form into cakes-- I get 8 or 9 usually. The mixture should be pretty moist-- if it isn't add a little more cream. Heat the oil to medium-high in a heavy skillet. Dredge the cakes lightly in flour just before dropping into the hot oil. Fry a few at a time until crisp and browned on the outside, turning once to do both sides (the oil should come about half way up the sides of the cakes). It sometimes helps to support the top of each cake while you flip them to prevent breaking-- once both sides are crisp they hold together well. Serve Immediately. I like to make a cayenne-mustard flavored mayonnaise to drizzle on top-- I make the mayo a little thin and whisk in a squeeze of lemon juice, which sounds suspiciously close to Hollandaise, now that I think about it....

My favorite variation is to substitute leftover grilled salmon for 2/3 of the crab meat. I keep some crab in the mix to lighten the "salmon cakes." I tried this once when I had some leftover grilled salmon, now I ALWAYS grill enough to have leftovers so I can make these cakes.

you'll note that the recipe for crab cakes is basically the same as meat loaf. Having Louisiana Creole roots, garlic, onions, and cayenne pepper are mandatory for most any of my main dishes. You can try creamy salad dressing in place of mayonnaise, a touch of olive oil in place of butter, along with any of the above posted suggestions. You can have fun with this. :9


edit for clarity.

(Louisiana and Maryland)

They're quite different but equally good. One's favorite is a matter of personal choice.

Funny thing is, they both use the blue crab.

The dungeness is west coast, IIRC.

So since they're using fresh crabs, they're limited to (or used to) using what's swimming around.

They add oatmeal (Wow, whole grain crabcakes!) and bake them in a muffin-top pan. Sounds weird but they are really good.

And it sounded pretty good to me. It's from Sara Moulton, always good. She adds sour cream, which may help keep them moist. There are lots of others here, so I'll also include The Food Network link. You can find practically everything here, lots of helpful ideas and you modify it if you need to.:-)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_15389,00.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/