Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Crab Cake Tips

By Mike Smith

Do you love crab cakes?! They are so tasty when made the right way. There are just a couple things you have to pay attention to when making them. Here are some tips on making delicious crab cakes:

Step 1: Choose the best quality crab meat available. This is absolutely the most important step in making awesome crab cakes. If you start off with premium crab meat, your crab cake is bound to taste delicious. What should crab meat smell like? Crab meat should have a seawater smell and be moist.

Be sure to pick the grade that matches up with your budget and the general style of the rest of your menu. There is no need to buy awesome and expensive meat when you don't need to. For example, if your crab cakes are for a special party or dinner, using jumbo lump will give you an impressive plate presentation. If you`re making a crab cake for a casual picnic or lunch, however, you can utilize claw meat or special, allowing you to cut costs while still keeping that great flavor. Be smart about your ingredients.

Step 2: Definitely handle the meat gently when using it in your recipe to ensure that the large lumps and flakes are retained " crab meat is very delicate and breaks apart easily.

Step 3 - Just like with any recipe, the better the ingredients, the better your product will be. To get the best crab cake, use the best quality ingredients " fresh parlsey instead of dried, fresh lemon juice instead of bottled. Fresh is always better than not fresh.

When shaping the crab mixture into cakes, again be gentle and use your hands to gently press and shape the cakes. One trick is to add the largest lumps of meat last so you don't break the lumps.

Once you have portioned out your crab cakes, it is best to allow them to sit in the refrigerator (covered with plastic wrap) for at least an hour...the longer the better. This will really bring all the excellent flavors together and allow the ingredients to "set" and bind together. This will also help keep your crab cakes from breaking apart while frying or baking. That's the last thing you want is to have the crab cake break apart after frying. It'll keep your crab cakes from breaking apart and their presentation will be awesome.

About the Author:

No comments: