Easy, no-refrigeration-required recipe for crab cakes, with variations for lots of other canned or fresh meat . . . and they taste great!
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Total Time 25 minutesminutes
Servings 2
Calories 389kcal
Carbs (g): 33
Ingredients
1large potato
2teaspoonsOld Bay seasoning (Divided. Substitute any shrimp/crab boil seasoning OR use hot sauce to taste OR 1 teaspoon prepared mustard. Adjust spices to suit the meat.)
1can crab(Or chicken, ham, corned beef, or tuna--approx. 6 ounce size)
1teaspoon salt
1/4cup finely minced onion or green onion(green onion tops included )
1 egg (beaten , plus extra for coating)
1/4cup flour (approximate)
3tablespoons canola oil
Optional add-ins (I usually add only one or two of the following, depending on what’s on hand):
2tablespoonsfinely minced green pepper
1/2 small can mushrooms(chopped)
2tablespoonscanned green chilies
1/4 tomato, seeds removed, pulp diced (can use canned tomato)
2tablespoons canned corn
2tablespoons canned peas
Instructions
Peel potato and cut in quarters. Put in a saucepan and drain liquid from canned crab meat into pan (this will add flavor). Add enough water to cover potato, half the Old Bay seasoning and the salt (if using hot sauce or mustard, just add salt). Cover and boil until tender.
When fork tender, remove from fire and drain water. Leave the potato in the hot pan, uncovered, for 3 to 5 minutes to let some of the moisture steam off.
Transfer potato to a medium bowl and smash it up with a fork or potato masher. It should be slightly lumpy, but pretty well broken up. Add the drained crab meat, onion, remaining Old Bay, beaten egg and any add-ins desired. Mix together.
Add flour and mix. You may need to add more, depending on how dry the potatoes were, the size of the eggs and moisture in other ingredients. The mixture should be fairly stiff and all clumped together.
Divide the mixture into quarters and form into patties about 3 inches in diameter. Place a little flour in a small bowl and put each patty in the flour, turning to coat it on all sides. Place completed patties aside until all are ready.
Put canola oil into a skillet large enough to hold all four patties (if your skillet isn’t large enough, no problem -- you’ll just have to cook them in batches). Heat over high heat until a drop of water sizzles when dropped into the pan. If the pan isn’t hot enough, the cakes will be greasy, but if it’s too hot, the bottom will burn before they’re cooked through.
Gently place the patties into the skillet – a spatula can be helpful here to protect your hand from the spattering oil. Add cakes and cook 5-7 minutes until brown and crusty on the bottom. Carefully turn the cakes over and turn the fire down to medium low. Cook 7 – 10 minutes on second side, until brown and crusty and cooked through (the meat is already cooked, so you don’t have to worry about it being done).
When done, remove the crab cakes and put them on a paper towel for a minute to absorb any extra oil. Put two on a plate to serve.
Notes
These are good topped with your choice of hot sauce (we particularly like the Jamaican Pick-a- Peppa), or a dab of mayonnaise mixed with a little wasabi and soy sauce or mustard and Worchestershire.
Nutrition Facts
Crab Cakes
Amount Per Serving
Calories 389Calories from Fat 216
% Daily Value*
Fat 24g37%
Saturated Fat 2g10%
Cholesterol 88mg29%
Sodium 1393mg58%
Potassium 621mg18%
Carbohydrates 33g11%
Fiber 4g16%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 11g22%
Vitamin A 830IU17%
Vitamin C 47.9mg58%
Calcium 80mg8%
Iron 5.9mg33%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.