Crab Cakes

So here's the issue. I never "got" crab cakes. I grew up (well, as much as anyone admits that I've grown up) on the east coast. This isn't a place of pride piece. It happened. Not my decision. That's where my parents made a home. And I didn't grow up with crab cakes. Not something we had in my family in Connecticut.

So, I have no pride of place when it comes to crab cakes. Take them or leave them. And mostly, I'd leave them.

Seriously.

Now, fried clams? Bellies on! We're talking war!

Eastern Blue Crab? Whatever. Whenever I had a "crab" cake back then, it was so unremarkable, it was forgettable. All filler, no thriller. Never understood the religious devotion to those sodden bread cakes. That's why I put crab in quotes. There wasn't much, if any. If you can imagine the packaging, the ingredient list would be (starting from the highest amount to the lowest amount): Bread crumbs, onion, celery, carrot, mayonnaise, Old Bay, mustard, herbs, spices, water, crab. Ugh. Why bother?

And then. Met Dorothy, lived with Dorothy, married Dorothy. She has a bit of a connection to the eastern shore of MD. And her family knows crab cakes. Loves crab cakes. All thriller, no filler.

And I have to admit, those I had on that god-forsaken terrain called the eastern shore… They were good. Quite good.

So, as a Seattle resident, why do I talk about this? Because the west coast has the best crab, bar none. The Dungeness crab is royalty. And it's big and meaty. And it is fantastic alone, and this is why is makes the best crab cake.

Last night, I made crab cakes. Meat from one crab, about a cup and a half worth or more, mixed with a little Dijon mustard, an egg, a little finely chopped shallot, and then Panko - oh heaven.

I didn't intend to make a post for the blog with this, so no recipe. I didn't follow one. Just mixed it up. The only picture I have is before they were cooked.
You can see the chunk-o-crab. Yes, it was chunk-o-crab delicious. Or was that Crab-o-chunk-alicious? Toss up. Served with sautéed spinach and a hash of leeks and potatoes. Now that’s good crab cakes.