Crab Cake Recipes

Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson, 2008

Show: Cooking for RealEpisode: Gone Shuckin’

Ingredients

• 32 ounces shucked oysters
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal (recommended: Indian Head)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Kosher salt
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 4 (6-inch) hoagie loaves
• Remoulade Sauce, recipe follows
• 4 leaves romaine lettuce
• 1 to 2 lemons
• Special equipment: brown paper bag

Directions:
Drain the oysters and place in a small bowl. Cover with 1 cup milk and let soak for 15 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining milk, water, cayenne and eggs. Place the flour, cornmeal, black pepper, and salt into a brown paper bag, close and shake to mix.

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, pour enough oil to fill the pan halfway. Heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 360 degrees F.

Drain the oysters from the milk. In batches dip oysters in the egg mixture then drop in the paper bag. Close and shake. Remove to a plate and repeat with the rest of the oysters. When oil is at 360 degrees F, fry oysters in batches. Do not overcrowd. Cook turning once until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove to a paper towel. Repeat with remaining oysters.

To serve, cut sandwich loaves in half horizontally. Slather a generous amount of Spicy Remoulade Sauce on the inside. Place a lettuce leaf inside and fill generously with oysters. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over oysters just before serving.

Spicy Remoulade Sauce:

• 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup stone-ground mustard
• 1 clove garlic clove, smashed
• 1 tablespoon pickle juice
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon hot paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Frank’s Red Hot)
• Special equipment: a food processor

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Chill until ready to serve.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Pint of Oysters Shucked – $ 18.99
From: The Crab Place

Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay, 2008

Show: Throwdown with Bobby FlayEpisode: Gumbo
Ingredients

• 1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into thin rounds
• 2 small ribs celery, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 1 large Spanish onion, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 6 to 8 cups Shrimp Stock, recipe follows
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoon honey
• Freshly chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish
• Freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Seafood:

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 12 scallops
• 12 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails on
• 18 shucked oysters
• 6 ounces lump crabmeat

Crispy Okra:

• Canola oil
• 1/2 pound okra, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the gumbo base:
Heat a medium skillet over high heat. Add the andouille and cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels. Do not drain. In the same pan, cook the celery, carrots, onion, bell pepper and garlic until soft.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Gradually add the flour, stirring occasionally. Cook the mixture (roux) until it’s a light-caramel color, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onion mixture and cook for about 3 minutes, without stirring.

Bring the stock to a boil in a large saucepan. Whisk in about 6 cups of the stock into the roux mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, add the andouille sausage and continue simmering for about 20 minutes, add more stock if the mixture is too thick. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
For the seafood:
Heat 2 tablespoon of the oil in a large saute pan, over high heat until almost smoking. Season the scallops with salt and pepper and sear the scallops, on one side, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove and set aside on a plate.

Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining olive oil. Heat over medium-high until almost smoking. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and cook until just pink, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and set aside with the scallops.

Add the scallops, shrimp, oysters and crab to the sauce and continue cooking until oysters are plump and cooked.

For the Crispy Okra:
Heat 2-inches of canola oil in a high sided saute pan over medium heat until it begins to shimmer. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Place the cornmeal in a shallow baking dish and season with salt and pepper.

Season the okra with salt and pepper and toss in the cornmeal. Fry the okra, in batches, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to the baking sheet and season with salt.

Divide the seafood among 4 shallow bowls, ladle in some of the sauce and sausage and add the honey and garnish with the fried okra and chopped parsley and cilantro.

Shrimp Stock:

• 3 cups raw shrimp shells and tails
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 medium celery stalk
• 6 cups water
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 medium fresh tomato, or 1/2 cup canned plum tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf

In a large saucepan over high heat, heat the oil until amost smoking and saute the shrimp shells and tails, onion, carrot and celery for 5 minutes, stirring. Add the water, wine, tomato and bay leaf. Reduce to medium, partly cover, and simmer 40 minutes.

Strain though cheesecloth or a fine strainer.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Fresh, 3 lbs. Big Momma gulf shrimp
(10-15 shrimp/lb) – $ 58.99

From: The Crab Place

3 Pints of Oysters Shucked – $ 49.99
From: The Crab Place

Fresh, 1 lb. Jumbo Lump Maryland Crabmeat – $ 39.99
From: The Crab Place

1 lb. Fresh Jumbo Scallops (10-20 scallops/lb)
From: The Crab Place

Right now is the perfect time to add some crab to your party menu as an alternative – or addition – to the usual steak and They’re easier to cook than you think, and can add some instant pop to your next get together.

To get some ideas for ways to serve the succulent crustaceans, I turned to the guys at CrabPlace.com, experts on Maryland Blue crab and other seafood. Below are three of their featured recipes. One is a family recipe for spicy boiled Cajun blue crabs, and the other two are award winners from the National Hard Crab Derby. (Yeah, they have those.)

If you’re looking for fresh Maryland blue crab (live or steamed), soft shell crab, lobster, oysters, shrimp, scallops, or any other seafood, stop by CrabPlace.com. Their crab comes right from their dock on the Chesapeake Bay and they’ll deliver it right to your door. And less time getting supplies means more time to party.

Boiled Spicy Cajun Blue Crabs
Makes 4 servings
1/2 bushel live blue crabs (2 1/2 dozen)
16 ounce bottle of beer (no crazy flavors, stick to mainstream brands)
4 heaping tablespoons Spicy Cajun seasoning
Rye bread, sliced and buttered

In a pot deep enough to accommodate all the crabs, use tongs to place the crabs in the pot. Sometimes this is difficult because the crabs may grab one another, but do the best you can. When the pot is filled with crabs, pour in the beer and the seasoning and fill the pot up half way with water.

Cover the pot tightly and place it over medium-high heat. When the liquid boils, boil the crabs for 20 minutes, or until bright red. Using the tongs, carefully remove the hot crabs from the pot and place them on a strong serving tray. Line your table with several layers of newspaper, put out crab knives and mallets, and start eating. Careful, those crabs are full of hot liquid and are spicy!

1/2 Bushel Live CrabPlace.com Premium Male Hard Crabs (5.75″ – 6.5″) – $ 119.99
From: The Crab Place

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* 2 medium (1 1/2 pound) cooked lobster
* 1/4 cup butter
* 2 shallot, finely chopped
* 2-3/4 cups fresh fish stock
* 1/2 cup white wine
* 1/2 cup double cream
* 1 teaspoon hot English mustard
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
* salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cut the lobster in half lengthwise, and remove the meat from the claws and tail. Leave to one side. Remove any meat from the head and set aside. Cut the meat up into pieces and place back into the shell.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot; cook and stir until tender. Mix in the fish stock, white wine and double cream. Bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half. Mix in the mustard, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper.
3. Preheat your oven’s broiler.
4. Place the lobster halves on a broiling pan or baking sheet, and spoon the sauce over the lobster meat in the shell. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.
5. Broil for 3 to 4 minutes, just until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Just The Lobsters Our Just The Lobsters package is the no-frills way to enjoy your favorite crustaceans. Order as many as you like for your next dining event. Don’t worry – we’ll still throw in the lemon and butter – our lobsters never show up for a social gathering unprepared! The Just The Lobsters Package Includes: Two 1 lb. Live Maine Lobsters Fresh Lemon and Butter Lobster Gram Cooking Manual

Live Lobster

• Invariably, lobster quality is higher if it’s alive at purchase and cooked the same day. Many markets and grocery stores have live lobsters available, or there are mail-order businesses that will ship live lobster to your door.
• Any live lobster should be active in the tank, and curl its tail when lifted out of the water.
• Once home, cook as soon as possible, or refrigerate, covered with a damp towel. Don’t keep them in water or cover with ice; you don’t want them to drown.

Freshly Cooked

• Many fishmongers sell freshly cooked whole lobster. This is a great way to get the lobster if you don’t have the time or inclinations to buy live.
• Make sure the lobster is freshly cooked. If left in the shell for too long, the quality of the meat can degrade.

Frozen Tails

• Frozen tails are good choices for quick, fresh lobster.
• Available in a variety of sizes, these are perfect for throwing on the grill, or chopping into a sauté.
• Due to the freezing process, these won’t be quite as good as whole lobster, but they can certainly be worth the convenience.

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* 1 tablespoon butter, softened
* 4 hot dog buns or kaiser rolls, split
* 4 lettuce leaves
* 1 1/2 pounds cooked and cubed lobster meat
* 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
* 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
* 1 dash hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™)
* 2 green onions, chopped
* 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 pinch dried basil, parsley or tarragon

DIRECTIONS

1. Lightly butter the insides of the buns or rolls and line with lettuce leaves. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnasie, lime juice, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper until well blended. Mix in the green onion and celery, then lightly mix in the lobster so it just gets coated without falling apart.
3. Stuff the lobster filling into the buns and sprinkle parsley, basil or tarragon lightly over the filling..