Hello, fellow BT'ers!

I am back on Bonaire Talk after several months absent, with a new life, an own website, and a strange question.
I Promise I will be posting more often again from now on, and I hope to see you on Bonaire, or even at some BT-dinner in the future.

Sorry for being away so long time, but I will make up again.

My question:

Someone asked me if you can get "CRAB CAKE" on Bonaire. I even don't have the slightest idea what that is. My culinary dictionary didn't give an answer, so I hope BT will help.
1. What is Crab Cake?
2. Where can you buy it, or order in which restaurant?
3. Is it worth the search?


Thanks in advance for your answers..

See you on BT

Harrie

Hi, Harrie! Crab cakes are like little croquets made of lump crab meat and other tasty ingredients . usually served flattened like a patty and browned . often contain bread crumbs and seasoning and a bit of egg to bind. Often served as an appetizer. Sometimes served in a sandwich.

Not a desert.

New England is famous for it's Crab Cakes. ANy NE BT'ers like to elaborate?
Margarite

I have a great recipe for Crab cakes with a Basil aioli. here it is...

12 ounces crabmeat
1/4 cup minced roasted red peppers from jar
Basil Aioli[recipe below}
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
3 cups fresh breadcrumbs (from about 8 ounces of French bread)
2 large egg yolks

All purpose flour
2 egg whites, beaten just until foamy

3 tablespoons butter

Combine crabmeat, red peppers, 3 tablespoons Basil Aioli and lemon peel in large bowl. Mix in 1 1/3 cups breadcrumbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in yolks (mixture will be soft).

Form crab mixture into eight 3/4-inch-thick cakes, using generous 1/4 cupful for each. Coat cakes on both sides with flour; shake off excess. Brush both sides with beaten whites, then coat with remaining breadcrumbs. Cover; chill at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook cakes until golden brown and heated through, about 4 minutes per side. Place 2 cakes on each plate. Serve with remaining Basil Aioli.

Makes 4 servings.

Basil Aioli
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

Mix all ingredients in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to allow flavors to develop. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Makes 1 cup.

Harrie, glad to hear you are making positive changes in your life.

A well made crab cake is a delight to eat and well worth seeking out. The best ones are made with very little filler, just enough of some carbohydrate product like bread or potato chips to hold it together, mashed into a blob, covered in the same carbs and fried. If the crabmeat is fresh you don't need any sauce at all. Mary & I were down in Southern Maryland last weekend and had some really delicious crabcake sandwiches at Gilligan's Pier http://www.gilliganspier.com/.
They have OK ones here in NYC at Delta Grill and Virgils.

Here's a recipe which seems to have a lot of extra stuff in it:


This recipe was adapted from one on the Epicureous.com cooking site. It does not produce the ususal 'old Bay' or bready type crab cake, but instead, allows the crab to be the focus.

2 lbs backfin crab meat
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
4 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 teaspoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons dried tarragon
4 teaspoons onions, grated
salt and black pepper
1 cup panko (Panko are Janpanese breadcrumbs)
3 cups panko, for coating (Panko are Janpanese breadcrumbs)
6 teaspoons unsalted butter
1. In bowl, combine crab meat, breadcrumbs, an 1 cup panko.
2. In small bowl, whish eggs well and add cream, whisking.
3. Add cream mixture, mustard, lemon juice, tarragon, onion, and salt/pepper to crab mixture and combine well.
4. In a large skillet, heat 1 T.
5. of butter over moderate heat until foam subsides.
6. Take mounded tablespoon full of crab misture in hand, and pat panko onto the crab cake to coat (don't try to dip it in the panko as the cake will fall apart).
7. Drop cake into pan and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes; until deep golden.
8. Carefully turn over and cook 2 to 3 minutes more.
9. The cakes may be cooked a few hours ahead.
10. Place on a cookie sheet and cover.
11. When ready to serve, reheat in 350° oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Freddie, just tell me when the BT NE Crabcakes party will be, I'll be there. I'll even bring a knife and volunteer in the kitchen.
Ah luvvves crabcakes.

Me too Seb, I had to make them alot last year for the people that I worked for.. Now I think I can make them in my sleep!!! Crab meat is SO expensive out here anywhere form $25 to $30 a pound..Citirella's {sp} being the most expensive!!!
Oh and that Basil Aioli is great on just about anything!!!!!

LOL< anytime you want to come over and take a nap in the kitchen you're MORE than welcome.

Hey Harrie, no link to your webpage?

I found it in your profile, love the pop up copyright notice.

I love crabcakes! Freddie and Seb, can you use "imitation" crab? I know, cheating, but will it still come out pretty good? Off to check out Harry's website.

Harry, I'm sorry we missed you when we were house sitting I told Kelly, boy, Harry must not go out very much, his car has been there for days...then Monique told us you were in Holland...it was nice to meet you at the airport at 4:00AM in the morning though!

Hello folks, I feel happy to be on BT again, it really feels as a big family.
Thanks for all the recipes, it looks like a lot of work. But the main question stayed unanswered though, where to buy them on Bonaire?
There is a woman wanting to visit Bonaire, but only if she can get those crabcakes here, she must be addicted. Let's hope other BT'ers can help me out...

Yes, Seb, my website is only for the clever ones, glad you made it.

But it is just a first version. Sometime this weekend I will upload a new version, with lots of Bonaire pictures, and some changes that will make it faster. I have decided not to make a special USA-version, I will change the whole site into English. Most dutch people will understand. But that will take a lot of time.

Yes Cynde, glad to have met you on the airport, although I really was not completely awake, and had just one thing in mind, find Linda, and get that car to go home. Next time better... (When?)

Harrie

I'll have to try out those recipes! They sound yummy!

Harrie, I wasn't quite awake either! I'll be back in November with my husband this time! I checked out your website too...Found a lot of stuff just by clicking even though I don't speak dutch!

If anyplace, I would try Richards, They might have them.

Harrie,
you may want to put out a plea for New Englanders to bring down some pre-made frozen crab cakes. We can get them in seafood markets here on the left coast, but with the time it takes us to get to Bonaire, they would be soggy crab cakes. Yuck!

I happen to be the world's largest eater of crabcakes. So, I think I can speak with total authority on this subject. LOL Whenever I see Dungeness crabs on sale, Kathi and I party. Not only is the crabmeat better than blueclaws, but it is a hell of a lot more plentiful and easier to extract. Some of our fondest family memories were spent sitting around the kitchen table spread out with newspapers. We would spend hours cracking crabs, drinking beer, and just having a great time. I would go down to Walt's in Philadelphia (I Got My Crabs From Walt's- T- shirt) and cook them live with lots of Old Bay seasoning. The above recipies all look great, and I will try them. However, my brother-in-law, Frank, makes the best crabcakes I have ever encountered. I would like to propose a toast to all our crustacean friends from the deep that keep me salivating.

James,

Frank's recipe??? You can't just leave us hanging on that praise!!!

It must be something very special, that CrabCakes.
Not yet found a place to buy them readily prepared, but also a short trip to the main grocery stores didn't make me happy. I only found imitation crab meat. Is it also possible to use that, or is it a sin to do so?

Harrie

that fake crab stuff from cultimart is good stuff;)

(just mix with some chopped onion and mayo - serve on a toasted english muffin - way better than peanut butter;))

and garfield likes it as well;)

Harrie, the only way to answer that question is to give it a try..Then you must let us all know the outcome..Good Luck and Bon Appetite

It's kind of like going to see a broadway show and the star is out sick. Unless the understudy is pretty awful, most folks won't know the difference. But if they've seen the star and then see the understudy, they now have a basis for comparison, and they might be disappointed.
So I would say what you haven't tasted won't influence you, the only question is if you like the fake stuff.

'Imitation crabmeat' is fish, pollock, as I remember it. Good for restaurants and sandwich shops for 'seafood' sandwiches, etc. Good as itself. If you try it and like it, go for it. Then when you have a real crab cake you can decide again.

Yeah, what Glenn said better than I.

Jim, you have me saliviting for crab cakes...I agree with Glenn, you must post Frank's (or yours) recipe...Seb, I think you said it very well

Harrie, let us know how you like it...and hey, maybe you may get a nice little "package" from an East Coast BTalker with some REAL crab meat...be careful, as often, once you have the best, you can't go back!

being a native of Maryland (my family goes back to the 1700's!), where you are taught to pick crabs before you can walk and the blue crab is the State Crustacean...I had to gag at the recipe above that had 3 cups of bread crumbs to only 12 oz of crab meat.

My family recipe for crab cakes is based on that of Phillips Crab House in Ocean City, MD and is as follows:

1 lb. Backfin Crab Meat
1 tsp. Seafood Seasoning (I use Old Bay)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 large egg
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. mustard
1 Tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. parsley flakes

1. Combine all ingredients except crab meat. Gently fold in crab meat.

2. Shape into cakes.

3. Pan fry or bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes until cakes are evenly browned and reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Serves 4.

MAryland Crabcakes are indeed the best. I'll be saving this recipe!!

HAving said that Harrie, Crabcakes are a little like Cabrita Stoba......everyone has a favorite recipe and everyone thinks theirs is the only and best. I think cakes made with the fake stuff are better than no cakes at all......

Excellent, Sue, my plan has worked, I knew this thread would flush out some son or daughter of the bay with a good Maryland recipe recipe.

By the way also being a native Marylander (although removed for some 30 years) I also caught, cleaned, cooked, disassembled and ate Maryland Blues before I could walk. Go Terrapins.

I can remember the bay before there was a bridge and you had to cross by ferry to get to Ocean City.

OK, family is from Winthrop Mass...I grew up in Maryland, crab cakes are good, beating on the spiced up steamed crabs is work...but a lobster roll? no work and excellent!

I will take one of each, thank you!!!

Cecil,

Norfolk to Cape Charles ferry, right?? At the end of the railroad. Also took that. Much more nice than a common sort of bridge-tunnel.

Hello fellow BT'ers!

I hadn't expected to get so many reactions on such a simple question. Still no address where to get them on Bonaire, but enough possibilities to make them here, I will try to make them, and I think I could persuade the addicted CrabCake-lover to visit Bonaire soon.
Thanks for all the reactions,

Harrie

Actually Glen I was thinking about the dual bay bridges near Annapolis. I lived near DC so getting to Ocean City was an annual summer priority. The first bridge was build in the late 50's the second in the early 70's, AFAIR.

Harrie, crab cakes are just chicken croquettes made with crab. (now listen to the right coasters scream). Does that make it easier to picture the results in your mind? I can give you recipes for tostones and maduros if you want. The main ingredient in them is plantains.

Sue's recipe rules. I made it tonight with cold canned blue crab meat from the fishmnongers, it said it came from Thailand, $16 a pound. They were excellent, I baked four for dinner and i'm baking four for lunch tomorrow. I'm forming them in 1/3 cup measures with a rubber spatula and slamming them on a plate. Then into the toaster oven on a rack.

Cecil,

Never had the pleasure of east-west travel there-- Annapolis is the furthest east I have gotten. Still prefer ferries for fun, anywhere.

Dean,

My mom's family goes way back in Maryland and my dad was from southeastern Connecticut, so I grew up with both crabs & lobsters. I prefer a nice crab cake over a lobster roll any day.

If anyone misses the ferries that were displaced when the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel was finished, you can find them making the crossing from Cape May, NJ to Lewes, DE.

I wonder if I could make a living on Bonaire with Seb's Maryland Crab Cake Shack.
Sue, do you usualy fry them? The baked seemed a bit healthier. And is the crab meat cooked or uncooked when you make them? I realize the canned is probably heretical, but they didn't have any crabs at all, and it tasted pretty good, clean as a whistle. My pals on Cuckhold Creek in southern Maryland didn't have many either.

I saute them in a fry pan with as little butter as possible. Use a medium heat and flip when first side is nicely browned, remove from pan when 2nd side is equally brown - this should be enough to heat them through. I know the recipe says 165F internal temp, but I've never put a meat thermometer in a crab cake.

Seb, the crab meat you get in the stores is cooked and picked. A lot of it is coming from Thailand now... the supply in the Bay is low and expensive! They have contests for crab picking each year in the Bay. The various packing houses compete, how much can be picked and how clean it is, based on a set time. It takes me about half of forever to go through about a 1/2 dozen steamed ones (in my defense, there is conversation and fresh corn and beer). These ladies go at warp speed.

Cecil, where outside of DC were you? I spent my my first 18 years in Rockville.

Yeah, folks I know down there say it hasn't been much of a season, Dean. Sue, they are pretty swell baked. I'm not gonna admit putting a thermometer in a crabcake-not in public, anyway.