Fancy Panko-encrusted Crab Cake Sandwich: Not my grandmother’s Crab Cakes
I love eating traditional Maryland Crab Cake sandwiches, the ones I learned to make from my grandmother Edna. From time to time however, I like to take her base recipe and experiment to see how far I can push this tried and true dish to new places. On those occasions, I use panko instead of crushed crackers—it’s
light and fluffy and enhances the succulent flavor of the crab; and I add a bunch of other flavorful ingredients such as caramelized onions, chives, lemon zest, and Parmesan cheese and top it off with rolling the entire cake in panko which I spray with olive oil so it crisps up while baking. I plate the crab cake on a thick slice of toasted country bread, slathered in tartar sauce, two tomatoes slices and cilantro. Fancy panko-encrused crab cake sandwich is a fun departure from what I ate as a kid, yet the flavor isn't too different, so this sandwich still reminds me of weekends down at the shore and family gatherings.
Fancy Panko-Encrusted
Crab Cake Sandwich
Makes 6 3-oz crab
cakes
for the crab cake:
¼ cup packed with sautéed caramelized onions, finely minced
1 tablespoon freshly chopped Chives
¾ teaspoon Lemon Zest
¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
½ cup loosely packed freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons Old Bay (yes!)
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 egg, whisked
¼ cup Panko, plus more for the crust
1 pound backfin Maryland crabmeat
¼ cup packed with sautéed caramelized onions, finely minced
1 tablespoon freshly chopped Chives
¾ teaspoon Lemon Zest
¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
½ cup loosely packed freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons Old Bay (yes!)
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 egg, whisked
¼ cup Panko, plus more for the crust
1 pound backfin Maryland crabmeat
for the sandwich:
12 toasted bread slices
12 tomato slices
tartar sauce
cilantro
12 toasted bread slices
12 tomato slices
tartar sauce
cilantro
In a large bowl combine the onions, chives, lemon, cayenne, Parmesan, old bay, mayonnaise, egg and mix until well combined. Add in the panko and mix again. Gently fold in the crabmeat and set aside in the refrigerator for 20 minutes so the flavors can meld.
To prepare the crab cake, preheat the oven to 400F. Pour some panko into a wide shallow bowl. Scoop out 3 ounces of crab mixture and form it into a mound. Drop it into the shallow bowl and cover it completely with panko. Set it on a sheet pan and spray it with olive oil. Repeat until all the crab cakes are on the sheet pan. (These crab cakes are delicate and are best baked rather than fried, where they might fall apart because of the lack of filler.)
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. If the crust has not turned golden brown, remove the crab cakes and turn on the broiler. When it is hot, broil the crab cakes for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden.
Top the crab cakes on a piece of toast that has been slathered in tartar sauce, with the tomato slices, and cilantro. Serve with the second piece of toast to complete the sandwich.
Labels: american classics, Appetizer, Blue Crab, bread, Chesapeake, cilantro, Comfort Food, Crab Cake Sandwich, Down at the Shore, Easy Recipes, Family Meal, holiday meals, Holidays, olive oil, tartar sauce
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