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Crab cakes are great, but the meat can be expensive. So experiment with tradition by mixing cheaper seafood. Even use bread crumbs for more taste and value.
By JANET K. KEELER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 11, 2002
There's no question that the folks of Maryland have something to brag about in their luscious crab cake, a Chesapeake Bay original that leaves a big impression wherever it migrates.
Never mind that much of the blue crab eaten in the Old Line State and around the country comes from the Gulf of Mexico or overseas these days.
Big lumps of cooked crab, not those shreds from a can, are what make Maryland's legendary crab cake so delicious. But the expense of lump crab meat, about $15 a pound, encourages experimentation with other seafood.
Filler is frowned upon in an authentic Maryland crab cake. It is natural to want to stretch the expensive meat, but it's blasphemy to cover up the richness of crab with bread crumbs from a box. That's the thinking in Maryland.
Less expensive seafood doesn't create such a dilemma. Frozen cod at $5.50 a pound and calico scallops for about $4 make it easy to experiment and far less painful if the results are less than perfect.
Almost any seafood can be molded into a cake, held together with eggs, and sometimes mayonnaise, then flavored with everything from fruity hot sauces to Asian spices. Because it's not expensive crab meat, we don't have philosophical problems with adding bread crumbs. Our goal is to get the finicky cakes to stick together.
Tip No. 1: Refrigerate cakes for at least 30 minutes -- an hour would be better -- before frying or broiling. They will hold together better than cakes placed into oil without chilling first. Some recipes call for cakes to be dusted in flour or pressed into more bread crumbs before cooking.
Making seafood cakes is something like preparing potato or tuna salad. Almost anything goes, and flavorings can be tailored to your tastes.
Chunks of tangy brie added to whichever crab meat your wallet allows changes the profile of the traditional cake. Grated ginger and water chestnuts give an Asian flair to cakes made of shrimp and scallops. If it's the sea you want to taste, go easy on the additions and limit flavorings to salt, pepper, garlic and onions.
Seafood cakes have three elements: cooked seafood, binder and flavorings. We like our flavorings to come from a combination of spices and veggies such as colorful peppers, scallions, shallots, leeks, celery or water chestnuts. Dice everything small and uniformly so the pieces cook evenly during the brief time they are heated. Bread crumbs do help keep your cakes together, despite the protestations of purists. Unflavored crumbs are the most unobtrusive, but then maybe you want Italian seasonings for your halibut cakes. Egg is also a binder and the only ingredient that needs to be cooked.
Tip No. 2: Handle cakes as little as possible if you opt for no breading. Chilling becomes crucial in this case.
We like the coarse, untoasted Japanese bread crumbs called panko. Panko is light, almost tasteless, and the larger crumbs make the cakes crunchier, a good thing if you are broiling, rather than frying, your cakes. (Look for panko in the Asian food section of larger grocery stores, in Asian markets or in specialty stores such as Fresh Market in Clearwater or Carrollwood.)
Frying is the traditional cooking method for seafood cakes, but calories can be cut by substituting nonstick spray for oil and cooking quickly on a medium-high surface. Either way, the cakes should get a crisp, golden crust. Broiling will also create a crust.
Seafood cakes can be served as a starter or as an entree for a light lunch or dinner. For starters, two cakes, 3 inches wide and 1/2-inch high, will suffice; three would be plenty for a meal.
As a main course, serve cakes over dressed greens, either Romaine or baby lettuce, with a spoonful of creamy sauce mounded on each cake.
For instance, salmon cakes accented with a dill sauce would be delicious over greens laced with a mustard vinaigrette. How about scallop and shrimp cakes on crisp, cold Romaine drizzled with cilantro sauce?
We had success with fish cakes made of frozen cod and canned shredded crab. Piquant Caper-Parsley Sauce dressed up the mild cakes, and a splash of green chili hot sauce made them zing. Besides the seafood, the cakes included diced yellow peppers, scallions, fresh parsley, flour, garlic, lemon peel, egg, panko and mayonnaise.
We figured on 21/2 cups of bread crumbs for the amount of seafood but started with 2 cups. The remaining 1/2 cup was added because the mixture was too loose. We were finally confident when a tablespoon of the mixture held together when compressed by hand. The final ratio was 21/2 cups of bread crumbs to about 11/2 pounds of seafood.
Seafood, whether it be fin fish or shellfish, should be cooked before being mixed with other ingredients. We sauteed the cod fillets in a little olive oil, let them cool and then flaked the meat into the mixing bowl. Raw seafood lets off too much moisture during cooking, plus it requires more cooking time, which will burn rather than burnish the cakes.
Cooked shrimp and scallops should be chopped coarsely before being added to the cake mixture.
(Raw shrimp is used in Asian shrimp cakes that are more like pancakes than molded cakes. The batter is dropped by spoonful into hot oil. Also, you can find fish cake recipes that call for raw seafood and other ingredients to be blended in a food processor before cooking. This integrates the ingredients more uniformly, something like a paste. The cakes are formed and then breaded.)
Tip No. 3: Monitor cooking time closely. Oil gets hotter as it sits on the burner, and though the first batch might be golden brown in five minutes per side, the second batch may need only three minutes.
About the worst thing that can happen when making fish cakes is the cakes falling apart on the way to the frying pan or when they are flipped. That's not so bad if you're cooking for family, somewhat catastrophic for a dinner party. (Turn them gingerly; you're not flipping pancakes.)
Take the extra time and chill the molded cakes before frying. We've said it before, but it bears repeating because it makes the difference between failure and success.
Maybe we won't be using expensive lump crab like they do in Maryland for our cakes, but we can learn a thing or two from the fish cake experts.
For cakes:
1 pound cod fillets (can substitute other firm white fish such as halibut, grouper or sea bass)
8 tablespoons olive oil
6-ounce can crab meat
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup yellow peppers, diced small
2 tablespoons flour
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2-1/2 cups panko bread crumbs or fresh bread crumbs from crustless bread
Salt and pepper
1 large egg
For sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
For cakes: Sprinkle cod fillets with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fillets and saute until opaque in center, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate; cool. Wipe skillet with paper towels.
Flake fillets into large bowl. Mix in crab meat, parsley, green onions, peppers, flour, garlic, lemon peel and mayonnaise. Mix in 2 cups bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper; mix in egg. Add remaining 1/2 cup bread crumbs if you need them.
Shape into 10 3-inch-diameter cakes and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.
While cakes chill, make sauce by combining all ingredients. Chill.
To cook cakes, heat remaining 6 tablespoons of oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish cakes and cook until brown and crisp, about 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to plates.
Makes 10 cakes.
Source: Janet K. Keeler, Times food editor
For cakes:
6 ounces sea scallops
2 cups panko bread crumbs or fresh bread crumbs from crustless bread
1 large egg
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
5 ounces cooked, peeled shrimp, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
For sauce:
2 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2 shallots, minced
1/2 cup whipping cream
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
For cakes: Blend scallops, 1/2 cup panko, egg, cream, shallot, garlic, salt and pepper in processor until smooth. Add shrimp and herbs; process using on/off turns until shrimp is finely chopped (do not puree). Transfer to bowl. Cover and chill until cold, about 2 hours (mixture will be soft).
Place 11/2 cups panko in bowl. Drop 1/3 cup seafood mixture into panko; turn to coat. Press gently between hands into 3-inch round cake. Transfer cake to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining seafood mixture and panko to form 6 cakes total. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
For sauce: Boil wine, vinegar and shallots in heavy medium saucepan until liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 18 minutes. Add cream and boil until sauce coats spoon, about 3 minutes. (Sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 3 seafood cakes and cook until golden, about 5 minutes per side. Repeat with 2 tablespoons oil and 3 cakes. Meanwhile, bring sauce to simmer. Remove from heat. Add butter 1 piece at a time; whisk until melted. Immediately transfer to blender. Add cilantro; blend until cilantro is minced, about 10 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon sauce onto 3 plates. Top each with seafood cake and serve. Makes 3 appetizer servings or 2 main dish servings.
Source: Bon Appetit, February 1997.
For cakes:
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced small
1/2 yellow pepper, diced small
1 pound canned crab meat
1 cup bread crumbs
1 large egg
Chopped herbs to taste -- basil, parsley, chives
6 ounces Brie cheese
Flour
For dressing:
4 ounces Dijon mustard
8 ounces mayonnaise
Juice of 3 limes
Fresh dill
Salt and pepper to taste
For cakes: In a saute pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, diced shallots, garlic and diced peppers. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, add the crab, bread crumbs, egg, cooled pepper mix and herbs. Chop the Brie into small pieces and add to the mix. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate for about an hour.
Shape the crab cakes to desired size. Coat with flour and saute in remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil until golden brown on both sides. Set atop a bed of baby greens and drizzle with the Dill-Lime Mustard Dressing.
For dressing: Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to use.
Makes 6 cakes.
Source: KCRA TV, Sacramento.
For cakes:
1 pound canned salmon
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon jalapeno pepper, finely minced
2 tablespoon shallots, finely minced
1 egg white (reserve yolk for sauce)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Flour for dusting
3 to 4 tablespoons light olive oil
For sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon lemon zest, chopped
1/4 cup shallots, sliced very thin
1 cup chardonnay
1 egg yolk, lightly blended
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pick over salmon to remove any bones or skin. Combine salmon, ginger, lemon zest, jalapeno pepper, shallots, egg white, and salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate while preparing sauce.
For sauce: In a small skillet melt butter over medium heat. Add lemon zest and shallots. Saute until shallots are transparent, about 5 minutes (do not let them brown.) Add wine, and bring mixture to a boil. Stirring frequently, cooking until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add yolk, heavy cream, salt and pepper; return to a boil, stirring until mixture thickens, about 7 minutes. Keep warm while preparing salmon cakes.
For cakes: In a medium-size skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Measure out 1/4 cup of the prepared salmon cake mixture -- form cake in your hand -- dust with a small amount of flour; place in skillet, saute for about three minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Place salmon cakes on plate and top with warm shallot sauce.
Makes 5 to 6 cakes.
Source: Adapted from www.alaskaseafood.org.