For Foodies: Friday’s Flavor ~ Cornbread Crab Cakes (Yeast Free)

Hey, Foodies! Happy Friday!

I LOVE crab cakes, but they’re one of those things that are hit or miss. Either they’re great, or not so much, and with the price of crab, no one wants to risk making a recipe that could turn out on the not so much end of the spectrum. But this recipe is seriously good, so do it – take the risk! You won’t regret it!

Now first, I can’t take full credit for this recipe. I had just bought a container of lump crab meat (and FYI, the most important thing is a quality crab meat) and I had cornbread on hand (because I can eat it since it doesn’t have yeast, but I’m not a huge fan of it. Once I kill my initial bread craving with it, I don’t want anymore) so I Googled cornbread crab cakes to see if it was a thing.

What I found was Lawrence Page’s recipe over at Tasty, which I used as my inspiration. I’ve made the following recipe twice now, and even though it takes about an hour (45 minutes prep, 15-20 cooking), I can’t wait to eat make it again!

Ingredients:

cornbread: 2 cups, crumbled (If you use the Jiffy mix, 2 cups is about 2/3 of the finished product)

orange or yellow bell pepper: 1/2 cup chopped small

green onion: 1/2 cup (slice lengthwise and chop)

celery: 1 rib, minced

mayonnaise: 1/3 cup

sour cream: 1 and 1/2 tablespoon

cilantro: 2 heaping tablespoons

garlic: 4 cloves, crushed in a garlic press

eggs: 2 large, beaten

Old Bay seasoning: 1 and 1/2 tablespoons

garlic salt: to taste

olive oil: 2 teaspoons

fresh lump crabmeat: 1 pound

vegetable oil for frying (I use Canola Oil)

Preparation:

Chop bell pepper, green onion, celery and cilantro and add to a large bowl.

Add 2 cups crumbled cornbread, and mix.

Next, add mayonnaise, sour cream, and beaten eggs.

Break up the crab meat and add.

Top with crushed garlic, Old Bay, garlic salt and olive oil.

Combine ingredients together evenly, mixing with a fork or your hands.

Form into patties about 2.5 inches in diameter and place on wax paper.

Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. When oil is ready (it sizzles when a drop of water is added), it’s time to begin!

Using a metal spatula, transfer crab cake patties from the wax paper into the oil, working with about 4 at a time. Cook until golden brown, then flip. It usually takes about 2-3 minutes a side, but you might notice that with each batch, the cooking time gets a little shorter. I also turn the heat down a notch with each batch to keep the frying consistent.

When done, use spatula to transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

Makes 16 crab cakes at the above size.

If you try it, I’d love to hear what you think!