Crab cakes are top seller at National Press Club
Susan Delbert, chef at the National Press Club, shares the recipe for the top-selling item in the restaurants: Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes.
If this is D.C., Maryland or Virginia, someone will tell you they make — or have just had — the BEST crab cakes ever. It is true visitors love them and Maryland crab cakes have a certain notoriety well beyond geographic borders.
My theory has long been to purchase high quality crab meat and then do very little to it.
Looking at 13 ingredients you may wonder how I can support such a claim, but the additions are relatively minor: a touch of onion, celery crunch, citrus zest to liven the palate and the inevitable eggs & breadcrumbs to bind the whole thing together.
The problem with many crab cake formulations is the predominance of breadcrumbs and the paucity of crab—or the use of lump crab meat and not jumbo lump. This has to do with expense. Bread is much less expensive than jumbo lump crab meat, thereby justifying to some a reason to pad the patty, so to speak, but not adding more than the bare minimum to hold the patty together gives sublime texture and the true taste of the sea.
Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes
Ingredients
2 Pounds Jumbo lump crab meat (pick through for any cartilage), divided ¾ and ¼ amounts
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 scallions/green onions, fine chopped; OR ½ onion (sweet, if available), finely minced
1 jalapeno (optional, often not added at the Press Club)
1 celery stalk, de-string and finely minced
¼ cup parsley, finely minced and dried
1 lemon, zest
1 lime, zest
¾ - 1 cup dry breadcrumbs or approx. 2 cups soft fresh breadcrumbs, pulsed in food processor, no crusts
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dry Coleman mustard
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
Brioche or potato “hamburger” roll
Procedure
- Pick through crab meat. To save a bit of money, use ½ jumbo lump and ½ lump. Reserve about 1/3 to ½ jumbo lump to add at very end to keep pieces intact.
- Lightly beat eggs and fold into crab meat
- Mince onion, celery and parsley. Note, a hint: If onion is strong, mince, place in colander and run under cold water. This trick will reduce the harsh sulfur/bite. (This is a great for burger onion slices, too.)
- Mix together: onion/scallions, (jalapeno), celery, parsley, zest, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, Old Bay, and salt and pepper. Combine very gently using incredibly clean hands.
- After combined, gently fold in reserved jumbo lump, keeping pieces intact.
- Form hockey puck patties. You should get about eight patties, about 5-6 oz. each.
- Sauté in butter or butter and olive oil
- Brioche or potato rolls are particularly nice grilled, or butter crisped
- Serve with slaw, salad or fries, tartar sauce.
Hint: a deluxe slaw combines shredded cabbage, red peppers, scallions and/or sweet onion, minced jalapeno and cubed mango. Dressing either mayonnaise/sour cream mix or olive oil & citrus vinaigrette. Delicious.