Recipe:
For The Base:
1 lb cooked lump crab meat
1 egg well beaten
2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning (Dry)
2 Tbls chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
1 Tbls Mayonaise
For the Coating:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup fine ground cornmeal
2 cups Panko Japanese bread crumbs (have extra on hand)
2 eggs beaten with a tablspoon of milk or water
Oil for frying
salt and pepper
Tools:
2-1/2 or 3 inch ring mold
If your crab has been frozen, place it in a clean kitchen towell and gently squeeze out any excess moisture. Don’t squeeze it to death, be gentle. A little water is good. Discard the liquid and place crab meat in a mixing bowl. Add the base ingredients except for the egg to the crab and gently mix by hand being careful not to break up the lumps of crab*. Taste for seasoning and adjust** if necessary. Add the beaten egg and work into the mix. Put the cormeal and flour/salt and pepper in one bowl, the two eggs in another and the Panko in a third. Form the crab mixture with your hands into 8-10 equal sized balls***. If to wet, squeeze some liquid out. One at a time, lay the balls in the flour and roll with a spoon until coated, then into the egg, and finally into the Panko. Use a spoon to help in coating and transferring the balls.
After coating, place on a small non-stick cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper then place in the freezer for 20 minutes until very firm. Remove from the freezer, repeat the coating process and return to the freezer for 10 minutes. Heat a small frying pan with about 3/8″ of oil in the bottom to medium. Place each crab ball in the ring mold and flatten with your hand until it looks like a large marshmallow (see picture). Drop some breadcrumbs into the oil, they should fizz immediately but not burn or pop.
Using a flat spatula, slide 1 or 2 into the pan, cook each side for about 1 minute until golden brown then roll them on their sides to carefully brown the sides. Roll them along like wheels as they brown. Remove to a paper towel covered plate and serve with your favorite sauce.
*You will have to break up the large pieces that won’t roll up into a ball later.
**The goal here is to have a crabcake that is flavorful and tastes like crab. Dipping sauces are where you can change flavor profiles later.
*** I use an ice cream scooper and pack it in first before rolling in my hands.