Ina Garten-Inspired Crab Cakes

Compiled by Igor Kukolj, Editor. Nobody here has cooked this — how these are made.

Lump crab meat is expensive, and the standard method destroys most of what makes it worth buying.

Every stroke of a spoon through crab meat breaks a lump. Recipes that have you combine crab, mayonnaise, egg, mustard, breadcrumbs and seasoning in one bowl guarantee two minutes of stirring, by the end of which you have shredded crab in a paste. Mix everything else together first — completely, until it is a smooth, seasoned binder — and then fold the crab in with a spatula, six or seven turns, stopping while you can still see whole pieces.

Treat it the way you would treat whipped egg whites. That is the level of care it wants.

Pick it over, but do not rinse it

Even good crab meat contains slivers of shell and cartilage, and they need to be found by hand — spread it on a tray and go through it in a thin layer under a bright light. Do not rinse it. Water washes out the sweetness and adds moisture you will then try to absorb with more breadcrumbs.

Barely any binder

A crab cake should be crab held together, not a fishcake with crab in it. Two tablespoons of panko and one egg is enough for 500 g. If the mixture seems too loose, it needs time in the fridge, not more crumbs.

They should feel fragile

A crab cake that holds its shape confidently in your hand has too much binder in it. These will feel like they might not survive the pan. Chill them, use a wide fish slice, and turn them once only.

Storing

Two days cooked. Shaped raw cakes keep a day in the fridge and freeze well on a tray — fry from frozen over lower heat for about seven minutes a side.