Crab Cakes

The ideal crab cake is made of big chunks of lump crabmeat held together with minimal bread
crumbs and egg. While good-quality lump crabmeat, especially jumbo grade (see the section on
Crabmeat for more about crabmeat grades), has very little shell and cartilage, you should pick
through it to be sure. To spot the cartilage, spread the meat on a sheet pan and slide it under the
broiler for just a few seconds. The cartilage will turn red.

MAKES 8 CAKES (4 MAIN-COURSE SERVINGS OR 8 FIRST-COURSE SERVINGS)

1 pound lump crabmeat
6 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
2 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
Pinch of pepper
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
½ cup flour
3 tablespoons butter
Tartar Sauce
Pick through the crabmeat and discard any bits of shell or cartilage. Work the bread crumbs
through a fine-mesh strainer to make them very fine.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, pepper, and parsley until blended. Add the crabmeat and
bread crumbs. Gently work the mixture until you can form it into patties.
Form the mixture into 8 patties each about ½ inch thick. Spread the flour on a plate, dust the
patties with the flour, and pat off the excess.
In a sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the patties and cook for about 3 minutes
on each side, or until firm to the touch and golden brown. Serve with the sauce.