A New kind of Crab Cake (the best kind)

Plus, a streamlined spring entertaining menu

Today we’re making a new kind of crab cake (ahem, the best kind). Unlike the bready versions you might be used to, these little cakes are all about the crab, with a pure, sweet flavor and tender texture. A creamy sriracha remoulade provides a pop of richness and spice. The cakes are a fabulous appetizer or main course, and I share my favorite ways to serve them, along with a streamlined spring menu, below.

Happy Friday, friends! 

This week, in lieu of an essay, it felt more fun to share with you my dream menu right now in  this particular cycle of my life. As I shared last week, I’m in a streamlining phase, clearing away the clutter in my work/house/routines to better hear the call of my heart and to flow more easily with what shows up. 

That means that my dream menu, if I’m cooking, would be filled with foods that deliver in terms of flavor and texture, but that can be almost completely prepped ahead. Starting with these crab cakes. 

Crab “Mounds”

The recipe comes from my dear friend Jeff, who made them for us on Thanksgiving back in 2014. We hosted a friendsgiving potluck that year as I was hugely pregnant with Juni and couldn’t travel. Back then, Jeff was a partner in an ad agency with dreams of starting a new career in the food industry. Fast forward ten years, and he’s made his dream a reality. He now co-owns two restaurants (MOD and Kitchen Sink Supper Club—two of my favorite restaurants in my region), with a third on MOD on its way. Such an inspiration.

That Thanksgiving, when Jeff put down the first hot platter of his crab cakes (“crab mounds” he called them), topped with a slightly spicy sriracha-spiked remoulade sauce, we demolished them within seconds. My idea of what a crab cake should be changed forever. Forget heavy, breaded patties, these babies are tender and light, brimming with crab. They’re barely held together, with a crispy bottom and a pure, fresh flavor. The second and third platters disappeared just as quickly, even though we all knew we should be saving room for the big meal ahead.

The recipe was passed down to Jeff from his mom’s first cousin, who’s a Maryland native. He’s made some minor tweaks, including adding a special “secret” ingredient: Chinese hot mustard (the kind you find in the Asian aisle of the supermarket). It adds subtle tang without overpowering the flavor of the crab. Speaking of which, this is the time to splurge on the good stuff. Since the crab is truly the star of this dish, use a good quality, fresh jumbo lump crabmeat.

The cakes are cooked on one side only (which is a total bonus, as flipping crab cakes can be notoriously tricky unless they’re loaded with fillers) then are transferred to a baking sheet and broiled until golden. 

Serving suggestions

The crab cake mixture can be made a couple hours ahead then fried up right before eating, making this a great recipe for entertaining. They’re a fabulous appetizer (see my streamlined menu below), but they also make for a damn fine dinner. We devoured them last week with a one-bowl green salad and these artichokes with bagna cauda (the sriracha remoulade was delicious with the artichokes so you can even skip the bagna cauda). They’d also be a great with spring asparagus and roasted potatoes or rice. (Just be sure to serve more of the remoulade at the table, because if you’re like me, you’ll eat it with everything).

Dream dinner 

Now back to that streamlined dinner menu. We would start with the crab cakes as an appetizer, of course. While you can transfer them to a platter, in my streamlined world I would serve them straight off the hot baking sheet.