Capture the flavors and culinary traditions of Chesapeake Bay
Crab Cake Recipe
In the culinary traditions of the Gulf region, history has been founded, dating back centuries. This was in 1607, when Captain John Smith first saw Chesapeake Bay in what was supposed to be Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement. It is clear from the letters in his journal that these early settlers quickly learned that they had landed in a paradise of wealth. Smith noted in his journal that the fish are so abundant that they simply catch them "with our pans". The bay was abundant with crabs, clams, oysters and fish - and the surrounding areas were alive with wildlife.
But these early settlers were not the first to revel in their generosity. In Powhatans for a long time belonged to its shores, calling it "Tschiswapeki" or "Great Shellfish Bay." American Indians produced abundant harvests of corn, zucchini and beans and archaeological excavations in their native villages found a large number of shells that reveal Puhatan’s love for oysters, clams and other mollusks. The kitchen of the Chesapeake Bay region has evolved from this story.
Today, Chesapeake Bay Cuisine is famous for its wealth of seafood: crab cakes, oyster stew, painted crabs, its crab soup, crab chowder, baked stuffing, sea fish, Oyster Fritters and much more. These are culinary favorites, steeped in tradition and prepared with great pride. “The locals” are in any case the most famous culinary love relationships with the famous “Blue Crab”, so let's start our study of the centuries-old culinary traditions of Chesapeake Bay with the omnipresent blue crab.
Crab Cooking Recipe
There are dozens and sometimes hundreds of recipes for crab cakes - each family that loves crabs has its favorite. What we present here is a basic, traditional and tasty recipe made from the highest quality crabmeat.
1 egg,
C cup of finely cracked cracker crumb (use a high-quality cracker with a delicious taste for best results),
3 tablespoons of mayonnaise,
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice,
A teaspoon of freshly ground pepper,
2 teaspoons of the Chesapeake Bay (for example, Old Bay),
1 pound Jumbo Lump Crabmeat,
1 dash Tabasco (optional)
Jumbo Lump Crabmeat should have very few shell pieces, but you should carefully examine it and remove any items you see (or feel). Do not pay attention to the crab meat, as you do. Place the crabmeat in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle small crackers with crumb over it, tossing it very carefully until the crabmeat is covered evenly.
In the second bowl, whisk the egg and add mayonnaise, lemon juice, seasoning to the bay and ground pepper. Rinse these ingredients until the mixture is a little frothy. Pour the mixture on the crab meat and carefully throw until well mixed. Form crab cakes by hand, not caring about not to roll over or pack too much - the cakes should be as loose as possible while keeping their shape. (If the cakes do not keep their shape, you can add additional crumbs for breaking, but try to add as little as possible). This mixture will give 4 large crab cakes or 6 slightly smaller ones (size 8 snack).
Salt crab cakes in Extra Virgin Olive Oil until golden brown on both sides (8 to 10 minutes). You can also fry crabs, if you like, from 4 to 5 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Serve with lemon slices or tartar sauce and enjoy!
