Competition Barbeque Team

CRAB CAKES Ben Franklin is often quoted as saying that “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy”. What he actually said was “Tom’s Crab Cakes are proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!” 1 LB Crab Meat Bread Crumbs 1 Egg 1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise 1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce 1 Teaspoon Hot Sauce 1 Teaspoon Pepper Salt (To Taste) 1 Tablespoon Old Bay Oil Start with the best crab meat you can afford. Lump is best but it is expensive. I usually get backfin. Pick through the meat to remove any shells but don’t break apart the chunks of meat. In a large bowl add everything but the bread crumbs and the oil. Gently mix together with your hands. There are two keys to great crab cakes; don’t break up the meat and use just enough bread crumbs to hold it together. Start with a 1/4 cup of crumbs and mix adding more only if you cannot form patties that hold together. Form into 4 to 6 patties, cover and place in your refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This will help the patties hold together. Heat your oil in a large skillet. You want about a 1/4 inch of hot but not smoking oil. If the oil isn’t hot enough the crab cakes will absorb the oil. Take the crabs out of the refrigerator and let them warm up a few minutes. I like to season each side with more Old Bay and some pepper. Place the cakes in the oil being careful not to break them apart. The oil will splatter. It will be hot. Do not burn yourself. A couple of tips. Do not crowd your skillet, you may need to cook two batches. Turn them only once. If you do break one apart it’s no big deal. It will still taste great. They are done when both sides are a nice golden brown, about 6 minutes per side.