Photo of the Day: Heavenly Crab Cakes

This year we will not be making the heavenly crab cakes that have graced our table at Crabfest I, II, and III. We love them, but it's too tempting to try new recipes. I hope that one year we can do a "Best of Crabfest" menu, and these crab cakes would certainly make the cut.

Whenever I have the opportunity, I order crab cakes at restaurants, only to be disappointed by the quality of the cake. They are often too bready, too fried, too small, and over seasoned. The flavor and texture of the crab gets lost and you might as well have ordered a tater tot. I have experienced two amazing crab cakes dining out. One was at the late great Le Virage in Walnut Creek. This thing was so delightful it defies description. It sat on the center of the plate and just barely had a tan. I think it must have been seared quickly in a skillet, rather than deep fried. Its best feature was that it was a solid cake of crab, with a very minimal amount of other ingredients, such as egg and bread crumbs, required to hold it together. The plate was decorated with an accent sauce and garnishes that complemented the cake... bits of capers, red onion, and diced potato of all things. As a special treat, the sauce often changed, so you could order the same dependable crab cake with an element of surprise.

I experienced the second amazing crab cake at Ruth Chris Steakhouse. This cake was a no frills cake, but it was the largest cake I've ever seen! And it was solid crab. It came on a sizzling plate of butter like a steak and was ever so slightly crispy on the outside. Man, I want one right now!


The crab cakes we make at crab fest have a good crab to bread crumb ratio and we are able to shape them as we like. I like size of the patty-- not too small, which allows for enough juicy crab in the middle that is not fried. The crab flakes off the cake nicely. Some years they have come out a little more brown than we'd like, but I think that was a pan issue. They always taste delicious. We serve them on a bed of greens with a lemon vinaigrette that accompanies the recipe. Seeing them now tempts me to add them to the menu for the fourth year.... but that crab salad with the lime curd is calling to me. Any thoughts on this matter? The link for the recipe for Crab Cakes of Crabfest Past is posted on the right.