As soon as I unpacked my luggage in the capital city of the United States a little more than 4 years ago, Guillermo had to travel on business. I ought to say this was literally my first weekend in town; whereas, he had been here for about a month. Nonetheless, a friend of his who, out of mere luck he bumped into him catching the same flight that marked his move to the U.S. and offered really nicely to look over me that first weekend. Therefore, he and his wife went to pick me up at the Airbnb rental we booked to wait for our belongings to arrive to our new home and took me to lunch. They knew I was mostly interested in food, so they treated me to lunch to try the most emblematic dish of the state where I was to set roots while in this country: Maryland Crab Cakes.
When in Mexico City, I remember we would sporadically go to a restaurant whose specialty was crab and their version of crab cakes were our appetizer. Yes, they were good, but, I don’t remember them as something that changed my life. Nonetheless, after the advertising my new friends had done to this plate, I decided to get it as my main course. Again, I considered they were good, but they didn’t leave a special mark in my heart, however, I did become curious enough to educate myself and why they were so popular here.
Evidently, with everything going about, I soon forgot about those little patties. The following year, as soon as crab season began and therefore excitement all around me, curiosity came about once more. I learned then, that matter-of-factly, very near here, in the city of Baltimore, there is a place where they brag about being the creators of the crustacean galette. I think that it is them who made them popular, though and now, as soon as the season begins, locals either by birth or by residential adoption, we turn to eat the blue crustacean original from the Chesapeake Bay. Obviously, I have, little by little, learned about the product and tried it once and again every year. I even embark myself in creating my own mixes. For us, at home, this is the recipe we have become fond of and I find it’s quite easy to prepare.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 225 g (8 oz) lump crab meat
- 1 (1) egg
- 5 g (1 tsp) Worcestershire sauce
- 15 g (1 tbsp) Dijon mustard
- 15 g (1 tbsp) mayonnaise
- 1/2 (1/2) lemon, juiced
- 15 g (1 tbsp) butter, melted
- 3 sprigs ( 3 sprigs) parsley, finely chopped leaves
- 1/2 (1/2) shallot, finely diced
- 25 g (1/4 cup) panko bread crumbs
- 15 g (8 tbsp) Old Bay
To Prepare
- In a large bowl combine all ingredients to incorporate them.
- Portion the crab to about 8 to 10 scoops approximately and place them in a lined baking sheet.
- In a preheated oven at 190 °C/375 °F bake for about 15 minutes. If your oven has a "broiler" setting, you may broil them for a couple additional minutes per side and they will come out crispier. If you'd rather pan-fry them, this is also possible.
- Additional Old Bay seasoning may be sprinkled on top.
