Maryland Crab Cakes recipe

Inspired by Rick’s travels along America’s east coast, these crab cakes are all about simplicity, letting the sweet, delicate flavour of the crab shine through. They’re currently on the menu at The Seafood Restaurant as part of our Taste of 50 Years menu – four courses for £65, celebrating some of Rick’s most iconic dishes. They’re also gloriously straightforward to make at home.

“Everywhere you go on the east coast of the USA you will find crab cakes. Two secrets to their making: use good crab and as little as possible of anything else; chill them for a good hour to firm them up before cooking.” – Rick

Ingredients for Rick’s Maryland crab cakes recipe

SERVES 4

• 500g fresh white crab meat
• 40g cream crackers, finely crushed
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp Mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp English mustard powder
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• A dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 4 tbsp Clarified butter (method below)
  
  For the tarragon and butter sauce
• 50ml white wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp Clarified butter
• 1 plum tomato, skinned, seeded and diced
• 1 tsp chopped tarragon

How to make Rick’s Maryland crab cakes recipe

1. Put the crab meat into a bowl and add just enough of the cracker crumbs to absorb any moisture. You may not need to add them all.
   
2. Break the egg into a small bowl and whisk in the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and some seasoning. Fold this mixture into the crab meat, trying not to break up the lumps of crab. Stir in the parsley. Shape the mixture into eight 8cm patties, put them on a plate, cover with cling film and chill for at least 1 hour.
   
3. Heat the clarified butter in a large frying pan. Add the crab cakes (in 2 batches if necessary) and cook over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes on each side until crisp and richly golden.
   
4. For the sauce, boil the vinegar in a small pan until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Add the clarified butter, tomato, tarragon and some salt and pepper and gently warm through. Serve with the crab cakes.
   
   Clarified Butter:
   Place butter in a small pan and leave over a low heat until the water has been driven off and the solids have fallen to the bottom. Skim off any scum from the surface and pour off the clear (clarified) butter into a bowl, leaving behind the milky white solids that will have settled on the bottom of the pan.

Happy cooking

Recipe from Rick Stein’s Fish & Shellfish, 2014, BBC Books