Receta American Crab cakes the way Spongbob Squarepants makes krabby patties
In the middle of deep prussian blue color Pacific ocean, lies a beautiful coral island called Bikini Atoll and beneath it lies the most exciting city of the world called Bikini bottom with a population of roughly around 500 plus. The city has structured government, various businesses, law enforcement system but what sets it apart is the most happening restaurant of our times Krusty Krab. And the sole signature dish of Krusty Krab is Krabby patties, though other variations were also tested at times like jelly patties where krabby patties were topped with jelly fish.
The classic one is the yummilicious burger made out of frozen hamburger, crispy onions, lettuce, undersea cheese (sound cheesy!), pickles, sesame seeds and some secret ingredient like King Neptune’s Poseidon powder, some says it also contains barnacle shavings. The recipe is closely guarded secret and it was by all means must be utterly delicious so that the tiny green Plankton always remain busy hatching some scheme to steal the krabby patty formula but all his attempts goes in vain. Our beloved Spongebob Square Pants has somewhat secret access to it, so he was appointed as fry cook for the restaurant, though at times he had to do all sorts of odd jobs at the restaurant. On number of occasions he insisted that Squidward (whom he considered his best friend) should try the krabby patties at least once “because the only people who don’t like a Krabby Patty have never tasted one”.
This got me thinking and honestly speaking, number of times I was lured to this heavenly patties. Before my first visual experience of krabby patties, thanks to Spongebob for this, I have never come acrossed something like crabby patties. May be because we love to enjoy the crabs as cooked wholly in rich and spicy curry. The crab meats sold separately was somewhat unheard among the Indian fish sellers. So on a wintry evening, when I first went to Quincy market at Boston, I was warmed up by the presence of so many eateries lined up prettily in old arcade style market. Apart from the lobster rolls, crab cakes were another crowdpuller. As soon as I laid my eyes on hot crab cakes, I screamed with excitement “crabby patties the spongebob wala”. DH was laughing crazily and said “yes, the same one but without barnacle shavings!”
The crab cakes were good though I could not get to taste much of crabmeat, may be because of too much fillers in it, but I was excited enough to try the dish at home. The following weekend I went to buy the fresh crab meat from the market, and picked up a seasoning called “Old Bay” which was lying nearby to the seafood counter. To the fresh crab meat I had added minced garlic, minced yellow onions, freshly chopped parsley, egg, mayo, the special seasonings and added the flour as binder. The taste was good but it felt like that it could be better.
Few months later when we moved south, I got to taste the crab cakes once again at the Outerbanks, NC. What sets it apart from the Quincy’s crab cakes were the soft and flaky texture of crab cakes and the crisp outer covering. The filler was almost non-existent and I could got to taste the sweet flavour of crab meat. The crusty bread crumbs are sufficient enough to bind the patties, though it will be hard to retain the shapes. But who cares, when it tasted far better this way.
American Crab cakes Recipe type: Appetiser Cuisine: American
Fresh crabmeat : Half pound (I have used Dungeness lump crab meat) Mayonnaise : ¼ cup (plain or any flavor) Egg: 1 large beaten Djon Mustard: 1 tsp Fresh Parsley (chopped) : 2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning : 1 tsp + Salt and pepper to taste Lemon juice: 2 tsp Bread crumbs (use Panko): 1 cup Flour to dust Old for shallow frying Butter : 1 tbsp
In a bowl whisk the mayo, egg and mustard. In a separate bowl gently mix the crabmeat with all the seasonings, fresh parsely and breadcrumbs. Add the mayo egg mixture to this and very gently mix it, taking care not to break the lumps of crabmeat. Stir in the lemon juice, cover and refrigerate it for one hour. Wet your palm and scoop the crab mixture and make around six patties of half inch thickness. In a pan warm the butter and heat the oil together. Dust the crab patties with flour and shallow fry them over medium heat till golden brown and crisp. Serve the crab cakes with lemon wedges and tartar sauce. Approximate substitution of Old Bay seasoning : an equal amount of celery salt, onion powder, garlic powder and half of that paprika powder, black pepper powder, nutmeg powder, mustard powder. 3.2.2802
On my second and improved tryst with crab cakes, the patties were crisper and succulent but before I could press the shutter button, it was gone. Life moves on… may be someday I will make the flaky crab cakes once again. As of now enjoy this, guilt free.
Until next before you flip the patties
Sukanya
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