Southern Crab Cakes ~ The Southern Scoop’s Recipe of the Month

Southern Crab Cakes ~ The Southern Scoop’s Recipe of the Month

Southern Crab Cakes ~ The Southern Scoop’s Recipe of the Month – This recipe contains shellfish, a known food allergen and as such is not intended for those sensitive/allergic to shellfish.

We’ve all had crab cakes before…some super buttery, too spicy, not enough crab, too much breading. This month we’re bringing you our favorite crab cake recipe that focuses on the main ingredient which should also be the focal point of the dish: fresh, delicious, lump crab meat. That’s right, no heavy breading, not bites with barely enough crab to know you’re eating a crab cake, or too much heat to mask what likely started as canned crab from the bottom shelf of the grocery store. These Southern Crab Cakes are going to re-define your understanding of the dish for your palate. Without further ado, let’s get started!

What you’ll need for your Southern Crab Cakes

**Your favorite lump crab meat can be purchased from the World Famous Joe Patti’s Seafood Market in Pensacola, Florida; Sexton’s Seafood Market in Destin, Florida; the Gulf Shores Steamer in Gulf Shores, Alabama; and many more local restaurants and seafood markets. Where you purchase them is up to you, however for this recipe we will be using fresh lump crab meat. Now we’re not saying that you can’t use canned crab meat…but we don’t. And wouldn’t. Actually we *are* saying you can’t, never mind.

~1 lb. of lump crab meat (High quality, and check the dates! This is the star of the dish, remember?)

~1 teaspoon of Old Bay

~1/2 medium red onion finely chopped

~1/2 of your favorite hot pepper or chili. You can use a jalapeno or poblano, but we prefer serrano peppers

~1/2 tablespoon of quality chili powder

~1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

~A clove of garlic freshly pressed

~1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh parsley

~A beaten egg

~1/4 cup of Duke’s mayonnaise. Any mayonnaise is fine for this recipe except Miracle Whip due to sweet taste

~1 tablespoon of Louisiana-Brand hot sauce

~One green onion chopped from end to end

~Juice of one lemon

~Slightly less than one cup of bread crumbs

~2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Cooking items you’ll need

~Large mixing bowl

~Cutting board and knife

~Measuring cup

~Large plate

~Cast-iron skillet (No brand new skillets here folks! Make sure you have properly seasoned your skillet first!)

~Garlic press

Preparation

~Mix through the lump crab meat and ensure there aren’t any pieces of cartilage or shells remaining in the mixture. Place into large mixing bowl

~Melt a tablespoon of salted butter in the cast-iron skillet. Add everything except the crab, egg, mayo, hot sauce, parsley, bread crumbs, and juiced lemon and cook until the veggies are soft

~Remove the mix and let cool for 10 minutes or until warm to the touch. Meanwhile, place all other ingredients into a large mixing bowl except for 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs

~Add the softened veggies to the large mixing bowl once ready and mix thoroughly. Use the measuring cup to divide each crab cake into a one cup serving, then form them using your hands

~Once all the crab cakes are formed, cover and let chill for 20-30 minutes to firm them up

~Once you are ready to cook the crab cakes, place the bread crumbs on another large plate and cover each crab cake in a thin coat of bread crumbs

~Place the extra virgin olive oil into the cast-iron skillet on medium to high heat depending on your range, and fry each Southern Crab Cake for 5-6 minutes each side or until dark golden brown. Be sure to make sure the crab cakes aren’t touching each other so the heat can thoroughly and evenly distribute under each cake.

~Serve immediately and enjoy!

If cooking isn’t your thing, or you’re near Destin and want to try some of the best crab cakes in the country, try “Sarah K.’s Gourmet”, Home of the World Famous Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes! Sarah K. was named by Taste of Home Magazine as one of the top five destinations for crab cakes! If you’re in coastal Alabama, try the Gulf Shores Steamer in SanRoc Cay for the best crab cakes in Alabama!

We hope you like our Southern Crab Cakes ~ The Southern Scoop’s Recipe of the Month. If you haven’t seen our other recipes make sure you check the Gulf Coast blog! Since we’ve got you covered from Panama City, Florida to Gulf Shores and Fort Morgan Alabama, make sure to browse on over to our events page to find out about what’s happening in your vacation area! Thank you for being a part of the Southern family, and we’ll see you next month with another delicious quick recipe!