The Baked Crab Cake

Anything seafood is a wonderful thing to me.... Shrimp, clams, lobster, and of course the crab.  Growing up in Atlanta, one thing that I've always hated is the fact that we are so far away from the ocean. This meant we had to drive hours to get to a beach, and that fresh seafood is not readily available. These are huge pains in my ass because I love the ocean....must be that whole Pisces thing(shoulder shrug). Plus I could eat seafood everyday of my life.

Over the years I've learned where to shop to get the best "fresh frozen" and how to use what's available to me. This works for shrimp and crab legs, but not the lump crab.  That stuff is damn near $20 a pound and that's for the canned stuff.  One day I was in the store and they had it on sale for $7... so I figured now is the time to bang out a crab cake. So my search for the perfect mix of seasoning, ingredients, and breading started.

I began with the stuff I liked and hated about crab cakes.   I hate a bready ass crab cake.  This is an insult to the crustation that gave their life and the person that is eating it. They are gummy, under-seasoned, and well....just damn nasty. I also hate a cake with miscellaneous stuff in them.  This includes onions, peppers, or any other thing that folks put in them.  Save that for you sauce.  I also hate a fried cake.  This take away from the natural sweetness of the meat. It puts in an additional flavor that shouldn't be there.  Plus they are hard and crunchy. YUCK!  God forbid you use imitation crab meat. You have failed before you even get started.

For me a good crab cake is light and airy.  You can see the natural plumpness of the crab meat and hardly any breading.  You definitely won't see any weird red or green stuff.  Just crab in it's sweet simplicity.  Only needing a squeeze of fresh lemon to make it grand.

After researching what I wanted and combining this with that....this is what I cam up with.  It was a HUGE hit in my house. 

Baked Crab Cakes

• 16 oz crab meat lump or claw if fresh is not available use the meat found in the refrigerated section of the seafood dept...DO NOT USE IMITATION OR CANNED FOUND ON THE SHELF
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs...Tip to follow
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried mustard(or 2 teaspoons spicy mustard)
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons seafood seasoning (ie Old Bay**)
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise...Not salad dressing
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• Preheat oven to 375. Grease a baking sheet.
• Combine bread crumbs, baking powder, parsley, mustard powder(or substitution), pepper, and seafood seasoning....set this aside
• In a separate bowl mix mayonnaise, butter, Worcestershire, and egg until well blended
• Fold the crab meat into the egg/mayo mixture
• Fold the bread crumb mixture into the crab mixture
• Shape into the cakes apx 3/4 inch thick and 3 inches round
• Bake in preheated oven 7-10 mins.. then carefully flip over to bake an additional 5-7 mins.

Serve with your favorite sauce, fresh lemon wedges, a fresh green salad, and the carb of your choice. 


***Bread Crumb Tip***

Although most people us the store bought dried bread crumbs, for this I make my own using wheat bread.  Dried bread crumbs will soak up moisture that you will need to keep your cakes moist.  Since fresh ones are moist, they soak up less liquid.  Plus wheat bread is better for you.

***Mixing Tip***

DO NOT mix these like you are mixing cake batter.  This will cause the crab meat to fall apart.  Gently fold the ingredients together.  I use a rubber spatula opposed to a spoon.

***Shaping Tip***
Although you can shape and bake these right after you complete the mixture, I suggest that you form your cakes, wrap them individually in wax paper, and refrigerate for about an hour.  This will cool them down and prevent them from breaking.

**Old Bay is a registered trademark

The Lady and the Lawnmower....

For those of you that don't know me...here are two of my strongest personality traits. First of all I'm very independent. Not in the I pay all my bills, I got my own shit kinda way(although I do). It's more of a "I believe I can do every damn thing" kinda way. Blame my Pops. He never helped me with anything unless I just couldn't figure it out...after a week or so. This went for everything from tax returns to putting together and hooking up the electrical things in my spot. So I NEVER ask for help unless I just can figure it out, or it involves electricity(cause that shit will kill you if you make a mistake). The second is that I don't take myself seriously. I am able to laugh at my fuck ups and keep it moving. I have many. Mainly because of my first trait..

This misadventure started on a warm sunny June afternoon. Who the hell am I trying to fool? It was 98 freaking degrees in Georgia...which meant it was 2 degrees cooler than hell. I had been looking at my lawn all week. It was in desperate need of a cut. I had promised myself at the beginning of the season that I would not pay someone for something I could do myself. Plus I figured it would give me the exercise I needed on the days I didn't go tho the gym. So I talk myself in to getting my ass out there and get it done... Because I so love a fresh cut...both on my lawn and on a man... I get dressed for battle.....Wife beater, cut off shorts, long socks, work boots, and a bandanna. I grabbed my Ipod and headed to my battlefield..

I crunk up the lawnmower and my Ipod and proceeded to start cutting the portion of the grass between me and my neighbors house to the right. My neighbor is an older lady that I talk to and is fairly nice. I know that she is strapped for money like so many others so I help her out with things when she asks. Plus there's the whole "respect your elders"thing that runs in my head.. Well she saw me and asked me to cut her grass. Like the dumb ass that I am at times, I agreed. This was the start of my afternoon in hell.

I started cutting and feeling good. the sweat was pouring off my brow, my legs were stretching, and the sun was shining on my face. This feeling of glory lasted all of 20 minutes. Once I got to minute 21 I felt fire in my veins and the sun burning my already dark chocolate skin. Since I had only cut the area between our two homes I felt I could knock it out and get it done...Cause I can do everything...Being that I promised her I would do her yard I decided to do hers before I tackled mine. So then I moved to the back of my neighbors house. I discovered all sorts of berry bushes, wild plants, and a damn tub of water that I know was a mosquito mansion.. At this moment I also started feeling more heat in my veins and my legs getting heavier.

As I moved to the other side of her house I felt the need to hurry the fuck up. I was getting tired just wanted to get in a cool place. By the time I got to the front of her house I was telling myself fuck this! I couldn't pick my feet up and it seemed like as soon as I cut the grass it was growing back. That in combination with the sun beaming down on my black ass made me feel like I would erupt into flames at any moment.

I did finally finish her yard. I shut the mower down and threw it in the garage just as quickly as I could. I didn't finish with my yard, so it was still the same shitty mess it was when I started. After coming in my house chugging a Powerade and some kind of way finding the strength to wash my black ass, my head starting hurting like hell...and didn't stop. Babycakes(my daughter) came home from work to find me in a dark room, sitting in an Indian position, rocking back and forth, moaning. Since she knows me so well she asked me "What did you do"? After I told her she closed the door shaking her head and laughing her ass off.

I must say that this was truly a learning experience. What I learned. Georgia heat is not to be fucked with and to hire the professionals to do what will kill you. Needless to say, I did hire someone to cut my grass and I always look at them,from the inside of my house, while they're doing it having an ice cold cocktail and wearing a smile. Telling myself "never a got damn gain"..