Crab Cakes (United States)

      Although crab cakes originally started in the north eastern portion of the United States, it is one of those dishes that spread through the country like a plague of fried crab deliciousness.  In the Chesapeake area the ingredients stay to their roots with the bread crumbs, onions, mayonnaise, and blue crab meat.  While in the Carolina's bell peppers and pink radishes will be added to the cake, and the butter sauce changed to a reomoulade.  Go further south to states such as Louisiana and your crab cake will be much spicier with the additions of Tabasco to the crab and the dipping sauce.  If you then follow the advice of google maps and kanoo across the Gulf of Mexico to Texas your crab cake will be coated in cornmeal and have flavors from south of the border seasoning the crab inside.  Go further along in your journey to the pacific coast and your crab cake will be a made with the much lumpier Dungeness Crab and flavored with a drizzle of cilantro oil.
      Crab cakes have also become a culinary treasure to the rest of the world as well.  No matter where you go you can find at least one restaurant that has this dish on the menu either as an appetizer or a main course.  However the flavors will always be different as crab takes on whatever flavor you put into it. 
      My recipe for crab cakes, has changed many times over the years.  My first attempt was a simple mixture of crab, bread crumbs, mayo, and some old bay seasoning placed on a small pool of tarragon Bearnaise.  The recipe continuously changed until I finally came to the dish which has quickly become the most popular option on my catering menu. 
      Blue corn meal is used in place of the bread crumbs, both for the flavor and the color, blue crab is used as my base as it is the most readily available in the Cleveland area, and the spice mixture hails to my Puerto Rican roots with cilantro mango sauce drizzled over top of the crab cake.  The end result is a colorful statement that most brides can not turn away from. 

Blue Crab Cakes with Mango Sauce

3 pounds crab meat

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup grain mustard

1/8 cup cilantro, minced

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 cup green onion, finely chopped

2 1/2 cups blue corn meal

1 cup mango, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ketchup

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2 teaspoons lime juice



Pick through the crab meat and remove any bits of shell or cartilage set aside.  In a medium sized bowl mix together the pepper, mustard, cilantro, mayonnaise, lime juice and onion mixing well.  Add the crab into the dressing mixture and mix until well coated.  Place the crab mixture in the refrigerator, covered, for about 30 minute to chill.

Meanwhile, in a blender combine the mango, ketchup, cilantro and lime juice.  Puree the mixture until the mixture is a very thin consistency.  Place in a squeeze bottle and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Shape the crab into 3 inch patties (if you want to make a pretty edge to your crab cake then you should use a mini-burger/slider Patti press the edges will be perfectly circular).  Dredge each crab cake in the blue corn meal, till well coated tapping the edge to remove the excess. 

In a medium sized saute pan heat about 5 tablespoons of oil.  Place the crab cakes into the pan (being sure not to crowd).  Cook the cakes for about 3 minutes on each side just until the cakes begin to turn golden brown. 

Drizzle the crab cakes with the mango sauce just before serving.

Serves 4-6