Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Cajun King Crab Cakes

Very few things make me as happy as crab cakes. Maryland, King, Creole...no matter what crab or spices are used, the outcome is rarely bad.
This past weekend, I decided to make Cajun King Crab Cakes. I had never made these before, but I had made something similar about a year ago called Creole Crab Burgers. This dish was good, but I remember it needing a little more flavor.
The solution was simple. Skip the Jonah Crab meat and go for the Alaskan King Crab.
King crab is so much more flavorful, and the texture really stands up to all of the mixing, and frying that is involved in making these delicious little treats.
Shucking 2 lbs of Alaskan King Crab is not an easy task, but well worth the effort in the end.
Give this recipe a try if you get a chance. These would be perfect served along side a nice thick NY Strip Steak. YUM!

Cajun King Crab Cakes

King Crab Cake Ready for the Fryer

Ingredients
2 lbs whole Alaskan King Crab Legs- Shoulder to tip
2 cups plain bread crumbs
2 tbs Spicy mustard (I use an apple/cinnamon spicy mustard: I'll supply a picture tomorrow)
Cajun Seasoning to taste
Granulated Garlic to taste
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Dried parsley to taste
Dried oregano to taste
Old Bay Seasoning to taste
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 oz melted clarified butter
3 whole large eggs
Vegetable Oil for Frying
1/2 red bell pepper, minced
1/4 large red onion, minced
1 large stalk celery, minced

Directions
Thaw and rinse salt water glaze from the Alaskan King Crab legs. To remove the meat from the legs, take a leg, and break it by bending it backwards against the joint. Once you have a segment of leg broken off take your sea sheller and insert the pointed end into the shell. Using a can opening motion, move the sheller through the shell. Once the shell has been cracked, separate the shell and remove the interior meat. Be careful not to pull the cartilage with the meat.
Once you have the meat collected, put some vegetable oil in a deep skillet and begin heating it.
After the oil starts heating, combine all ingredients except for butter and eggs in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand. Once that is worked in, add the butter and work that in. Afterward, add all three eggs and mix well using your hands. Form crab cakes by rolling a 2 inch ball of the mixture between your hands and pressing until you have a patty about 1 inch thick.
To cook the crab cakes, place them gently in hot oil for 3 minutes per side. Finished crab cakes will be browned and crispy on both sides.

Meat Shucked from 2lbs of Alaskan King Crab Legs
Getting ready to shuck the King Crab
Lobster Gram has REALLY nice legs! There are only 2 legs per pound.
Lobster Gram King Crab legs are the whole leg shoulder to tip.
Alaskan King Crab from the Bearing Straight
Gorgeous King Crab Cakes
Everything tastes better when it's fried!
These King Crab Cakes will be a beautiful crispy brown once they are fried.
Lots of red pepper and red onion are the secret to making these Alaskan King crab cakes awesome!
The Perfect Cajun King Crab Cake
Mixing ingredients by hand is half the fun!
Fresh veggies bring this recipe to the flavor level I was searching for!

No comments: