Make Crab Cakes At Home

Crab cakes are a classic summer dish and, even though Labor Day has come and gone, Bobby Flay says they'll still delight your palate.

And if you think preparing them at home is difficult, think again: The Early Show's resident chef showed Thursday that, with a few simple-to-find ingredients, it's a breeze.

Of course, Flay adds some twists, incorporating some of those Southwestern flavors and ingredients he loves, such as blue corn and spicy peppers.

Crab cakes vary form region to region. Traditionally, they're associated with the Chesapeake Bay, which for a long time was known for the crabs caught offshore.

Crab cakes are generally made of crab meat, breadcrumbs, milk, eggs, onions, and seasonings, a very simple patty that is sautéed, baked, or grilled to make a great appetizer or nice, light lunch.

The two most common styles of Maryland crab cakes are known as "boardwalk" and "restaurant." Boardwalk crab cakes are typically deep fried and breaded, and are often filled with stuffing of various sorts and served on hamburger buns. Restaurant crab cakes, which are sometimes called gourmet crab cakes, are served with no filler, and are composed of all-lump crab meat on a platter or open-faced sandwich.

Many restaurants that offer Maryland crab cakes will offer them fried or broiled. Broiled crab cakes are lower in fat and healthier.

Meat from any species of crab may be used, although the meat of the blue crab, whose native habitat includes the Chesapeake Bay, is traditional.

Crab cakes vary in size from no bigger than a small cookie to as large as a hamburger. They are usually served with some sort of sauce, frequently a remoulade or tartar sauce, and sometimes ketchup.

Crab cakes are also popular in the Pacific Northwest, but a different crab meat is used; the meat from Dungeness crabs is a popular ingredient for crab cakes, and the cakes are prepared at many well-established restaurants throughout the region. Dungeness crab flesh has a delicate flavor that's considered sweeter than the flesh of other crabs.

RECIPES

Blue Corn Crab Cakes with Lemon Habanero Sauce & Green Onion Vinaigrette

Serves 4

6 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 jalapenos, diced
1/4 cup crème fraiche or sour cream
1/4 cup prepared horseradish, drained
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1-1/2 pounds crabmeat, picked over
2-4 tablespoons Wondra flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups blue cornmeal

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium sauté pan over high heat. Add the onion, garlic and jalapenos and cook until soft. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the horseradish, mustard, crème fraiche until combined. Add the crab meat and 2 tablespoons of the flour and gently fold to combine; season with salt and pepper. If the mixture appears too loose, add more flour a tablespoon at a time. Refrigerate, covered for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
3. Divide the chilled crab mixture into 8 patties about 1/2-inch thick. Dredge each cake in the cornmeal and tap off excess.
4. Heat the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over high heat and fry the cakes for about 3 minutes on each side, or until crusty and lightly browned. Place 2 crab cakes on a dinner plate and top each cake

Lemon-Habanero Tartar Sauce

2 cups fresh lemon juice
1 cup prepared mayonnaise
1/2 habanero chile, chopped
2 anchovy fillets
2 teaspoons honey
5 cornichon, finely diced
1 tablespoon capers drained
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Place lemon juice in a small nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the juice is thickened and reduced to about 3 tablespoons, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.
2. Place the mayonnaise, reduced lemon juice, habanero, anchovy and honey in a food processor and process until smooth. Scrape mixture into a bowl and stir in the cornichon, capers and cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Green Onion Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1-1/2cups chopped green onion
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup canola oil

Combine vinegar, 1/4 cup water, green onion, salt, pepper and honey in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and blend until emulsified.