One Chef's Take on Crab Cakes
-- Restaurants & Institutions, September 4, 2009
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| Eddie V's crab cake (source: flickr/a lovely Christmas carol) |
The wide-ranging appeal of crab cakes is undeniable. “[They're] our racehorse,” says John Carver, executive chef and partner of Eddie V's, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based restaurant group that operates the concepts Eddie V's Prime Seafood, Roaring Fork and Wildfish Seafood Grille. “We don't mess with it.”
For Carver's rendition, lump crabmeat is mixed in batches of about five cakes at a time; this ensures that the crab is treated delicately.
Next, the mixture is combined gently with seafood seasoning, cayenne pepper, sliced green onions, crushed crackers, a touch of Creole mustard and an egg—Carver doesn't want to overpower the taste of the crab.
To order, the mixture is packed into ring molds, seared in a pan and finished in the oven. (Because there isn't much of a binder, the ring mold allows the crab cake to hold its shape while it's being warmed through.)
To serve, the cake is placed onto the plate; the ring mold is removed; and the plate is garnished with chive rémoulade. “It's your typical Maryland-style recipe,” Carver says.
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