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I know, I know. Karen, crabcakes aren’t a “New Jersey” food, that’s Maryland. Maryland is the state known for crab dishes. And they are! But if you walk into most New Jersey restaurants, seafood focused or not, you’ll find Crabcakes on the menu. Wedding menus, banquets, fine dining, boardwalk eats, hole in the wall restaurants…they all have them. Over the course of my lifetime, I’ve probably eaten my weight in crabcakes, maybe more. But I noticed early on that when we went out to dinner when I was a child, it was something my Parents both enjoyed treating themselves to. Little did I know that the hunt for a great crabcake would be something that would be ongoing just as it was for them.

When you are a kid growing up in a shore town, you don’t realize how spoiled you truly are until you move away or mature. I remember actually getting sick of seafood and always going to one restaurant in particular whenever family came to visit. Going and sitting on the dock by the water eating fish, chowder, locally caught shrimp and other goodies from the ocean was getting soooooo redundant. I know… I’d slap me too if I could. Looking back now, I realize how lucky I was and am to have had those experiences. I’ve come to learn what good seafood is, how it’s best prepared and how to make it shine.

As I’ve said, I’ve had a LOT of crabcakes in my day. Some have been awful, some have been delicious and some have set the standard for what a crabcake should be. Large tender pieces of crab, primarily jumbo lump or lump with little to no filling. Good seasoning that doesn’t need to lean on a sauce to get there. Not a lot of breading on the outside, cooked perfectly, not falling apart and still showing off a lot of that delicious crab flavor. I know, I’m picky. But hey, you know the price of seafood dining out is not cheap. So if I’m paying a good amount for crabcakes, I want to enjoy them. So with this recipe, I’ve cut to the chase. I’ve taken out all the bad stuff that one doesn’t want or need to make a great dinner.

Like I said, Jumbo Lump or Lump Crabmeat is the hands down best you can use for a crabcake. It’s decadent, tender and sweet. Most chefs who are seafood fans could eat a pound of it by itself with no additives. Claw meat, which is less indulgent, can be used too. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good. But my theory is, if you are going to do it, do it right. When I decided I was going to do my own crabcakes, it was lump or not at all. Filling, and when I say that to those of you who are new to the crabcake world, is the breadcrumbs, crackcrumbs and other goodies that are added to it. The filling HAS to be minimal. It’s necessary in order to hold the crabmeat together while cooking but some places can overdo it and give you more of that then the actual crab while still charging you $30 for the plate. These are what we call robbers. Many a tourist trap seafood restaurant is guilty of this.

The trick to mixing your crabcake mixture is to make the actual mixing process minimal. The more you manipulate the crabmeat itself, the more it’s going to break down and your chances of it staying in that beautiful lump form start to diminish. Then you just get that stringy, shredded nonsense that you find in your local freezer section. Don’t do that to this beautiful seafood delicacy! My trick is to make your sauce mixture first then adding your crabmeat then your breadcrumbs. If you are a baker, think of it of it as folding an Angel Food Cake or a Sponge. You don’t want to lose that air. The same goes for here, you don’t want to lose the integrity of that crabmeat.

Now I seared mine on a griddle pan and then finished them in the oven. Feel free to broil yours, pan fry them or if you are really feeling crazy, deep fry them. I personally like mine pan seared and finished in the oven. It again protects the integrity of that crab. Oven baking them is a great method if you are entertaining or can’t pay as much direct attention to them as well.

While some enjoy cocktail sauce with their seafood, my inner fat kid wins out most times and I lean towards creamy sauces with mine. An aioli was a natural choice for this dish for me and I knew I wanted to showcase more fresh summer ingredients through this dish. You might not be aware but New Jersey is actually nicknamed the “Garden State”. We even have the Garden State Parkway! I’ve heard people say they didn’t know why it was called that when all they know of New Jersey is dumpsters and smoke stacks. That breaks my heart and angers me at the same time. New Jersey is home to acres of farm land producing some of the best produce this country has to offer. Every Summer, my parents enjoyed going to local farm stands and stocking the fridge up with Jersey Tomatoes, Corn, Cantaloupe, Blueberries and other fresh goodies. So putting some fresh basil in this aioli was a no brainer. Making a tomato and corn salsa to accompany that just came easily. I like to think that this dish showcases what New Jersey excels at as well as bringing back many memories that it has afforded me as well.

Jersey Crabcakes with Tomato Corn Salsa and Lemon Basil Aioli

Serves 4

  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/2c Mayonaise
  • 1 Tbsp Stone Ground Dijon Mustard
  • 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp Fresh Italian Leaf Parsley, rough chopped
  • 1/4 tsp Hot Sauce
  • 1 tsp Coarse Kosher Salt
  • Sprinkle of Black Pepper
  • 1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
  • 1 lb Jumbo Lump or Lump Crabmeat, fresh or canned

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread out crabmeat and check for shells. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine egg, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay seasoning, parsley, hot sauce and kosher salt. Mix until well combined.

Add crabmeat and panko bread crumbs. Fold gently to combine all ingredients together but keep crabmeat together in lumps.

Portion crab mixture into 3oz patties, pressing mixture tightly together. Place on a lined tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes, allowing the cakes to solidify better.

Once ready to cook, place 1 tbsp of oil into a hot non-stick pan over medium high heat. Swirl oil to coat pan. Once hot, place the crabcakes into the pan carefully and allow to brown. Flip gently over.

Place pan in oven and cook until crabcakes have an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Tomato Corn Salsa

  • 2 Large Beefsteak Tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 2 cups Corn Kernels, fresh or frozen and thawed
  • 2 Tbsps Fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, rough chopped
  • 1/2 tsp Coarse Kosher Salt
  • 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and stir. Serve chilled with crab cakes and Aioli.

Lemon Basil Aioli

  • 1 cup Mayonnaise
  • Zest of Two Lemons
  • Juice from Two Lemons
  • 1/2 cup Fresh Basil, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp Coarse Kosher Salt
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and stir. Serve chilled with crab cakes and tomato corn salsa.