Ah, crab cakes. Decadent, savory, with all the salty-sweet flavors of the sea. I'm pretty much addicted to them, but I rarely eat them because of how expensive they are. Either you spend $20 a pound buying crab to make them yourself, or you spend $15 for two tiny cakes at a restaurant. No matter which you choose, you're spending big bucks on something I could wolf down in two seconds. Sometimes I just have to splurge, but other times, when the craving hits, something a little more economic might be just what I need.
Enter imitation crab. Listen, folks, don't knock it 'till you've tried it. It may not be real crab, but it's made with real fish, and it's pretty darn tasty. If they use it at upscale Japanese sushi bars, it's good enough for me! My grandmother and I tried using it in crab cakes one day a few summers ago, and we were shocked at how delicious they were! No, they won't taste exactly like real crab cakes, but they are very, very good and will cost you a lot less. Rejoice, penny-pinchers, frugalistas, and poor college kids! Crab cakes are at long last accessible.
By all means, use real crabmeat if you can. Nothing beats real crab cakes. But don't be afraid to break out the imitation crustacean (see what I did there?) and roll with it. You'll be pleasantly surprised, I promise!
A large package of imitation crab (or about a pound of crabmeat) goes into a bowl along with some breadcrumbs. Make sure to shred up the meat a little if you bought chunk style instead of flake (oops!).
Crack in an egg to help bind it together. Eggs are amazing!
Drop in a heaping tablespoon of mayo. This is actually sour cream, because I was all out of mayonnaise. It will work just fine, but mayo gives a better flavor so I would suggest using it if at all possible.
Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. All seafood is improved by adding lemon. I'm pretty sure it's a law of nature, like gravity.
Sorry for the scary black glitter nails. I was feeling experimental this week :)
Add in some spices. I used dill, cumin, parsley (not shown), and lemon pepper, but whatever takes your fancy will be just fine. Old Bay, of course, is a staple and would have been great in my crab cakes... if I'd had some around... which I didn't...
Form them into flattened cakes and slip them into the refrigerator for a half hour or so (use the freezer if you're short on time). This allows them to firm up so they don't fall apart so easily in the pan. It's worth the extra step, unless you want crab-crumbles instead of nicely formed cakes!
While your cakes are chillin' like villains, whip up a little sauce to go on top. You could make a quick traditional remoulade (sour cream, ketchup, horseradish, pickle relish) or you could put together something a little different, like my mango-dill sauce. I'm crazy like that, I know.
By the way, did you know "chillin' like a villain" comes from a Batman cartoon? Mr. Freeze, appropriately, delivers the witty line. Random factoid for the day.
Once your villains have been chilled enough (no, I'm never getting sick of that line, sorry), heat a little olive oil in a skillet and pan-fry those delicious crab cakes until golden brown on both sides. One to two minutes should do the trick.
Plate them next to some rice pilaf and veggies, top with your sauce, and you are well on your way to frugal Nirvana. Yum!
Tomorrow morning, substitute the leftovers for the Canadian bacon on your Eggs Benedict. Sigh with happiness. Repeat.
Crab Cakes (Real or Otherwise)
Crab Cakes
1 large package of imitation crab or 1 lb. crabmeat
1/4 cup fine breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 heaping T. mayonnaise
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 t. dill weed
1 t. cumin
1 t. lemon pepper
2 t. parsley
2 t. Old Bay seasoning
olive oil, for pan-frying
Mango-Dill Sauce
1/2 c. sour cream
2 t. lemon juice
2 T. mango juice
1 T. dill weed
1 t. black pepper
1 t. sugar or to taste
Mix all ingredients for cakes together, ensuring that the mixture is well-combined. Form into patties and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to firm.
While the cakes are in the fridge, mix together ingredients for mango-dill sauce, adding more sugar to taste if necessary.
Heat a little olive oil in a skillet. Fry cakes about 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving.
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