Warm crab cakes just right in winter

With continued chill this season, we all love to relish something easy to cook and something warm and tasty. The answer to this season’s chill is the classic crab cake. When I hear this dish, it brings me back to my good old days in the cruise ship.
On board, crab cake was one of the hottest selling from the a la carte food menu. As a foodie and a culinary professional, I associate places with the food, like the crab cakes are associated with Maryland, a place in the US East Coast where this delicacy is considered to have originated.  
When Native Americans first made crab cakes, who would have thought they would still be served today all over the world in leading restaurants and hotels. There are plenty of restaurants in the New England region which boast for their crab cake recipe to be authentic and most delicious of them all. So let’s read on to know where and how this classic dish was created and became so popular.
Long ago, crabs were only available along the coast but were not as popular due to logistical issues, short shelf life and non-availability across the US. Thus many people did not know about them. Crabs were considered difficult to eat. However, with the passage of time and advent of modern technology for storage and better methods to extract crab meat out of their shells, they became a favourite ingredient.
One such dish that particularly became famous is the crab cake which is made by lump crab meat. While many chefs have been using crab in their recipes, combining meat with spices and breadcrumbs, the term ‘crab cake’ was first coined by a book titled The New York’s Fair Cook Book. Since then, crab cakes have been a staple for the state of Maryland for its taste and benefit to economy of the region. Freshly caught blue crabs are best for this delicious recipe as they are found in abundance in the region.
To start, first boil a large crab, let it cool down and take out the meat from claws, you can fry them and serve them whole as garnish on top of crab cakes too or use them in making the cakes. Then remove the meat from the body and add seasoning, binding and bread, and mix well, shape into patty and shallow fry in butter. Serve with choice of salad and sauce. You can also get the fresh or frozen packed crab meat to avoid the hassle of removing the meat out of a crab yourself.

Crab cake

Ingredients
Crab meat 400g
Egg 1no
Mayonnaise 3tbsp
Panko bread crumbs 5 tbsp
White pepper powder to taste
Nutmeg powder ¼ tsp
Chives few sprigs
Green onion 2-3 sprigs
Green apple 1 no
Crushed black pepper to sprinkle
Butter 4 tbsp
Baby spinach 50g
Lime juice 1tsp
For Remoulade sauce
Red bell pepper 2no
Mayonnaise 6tbsp
Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp
Lemon juice 1tsp
Capers 5-6 no
Dijon mustard    1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method
In a clean and dry bowl whisk egg, mayonnaise, lemon juice.
Add crab meat, fine chopped chives, green onion, nutmeg powder, bread crumbs and seasoning.
Combine with a fork breaking the crab meat to smaller chunks.
Divide the crab meat into equal portions for cakes.
Shape them on a butter paper as round circular flat cakes and freeze them for an hour.
Thin julienne green apple and soak in ice cold water with lemon juice.
Meanwhile for the red pepper Remoulade sauce, roast the bell pepper in oven for 5-7 minutes.
Once the skin is soft keep it covered in a bowl to make the skin peel off easily.
Remove the skin and seeds and blend to a smooth consistency.
Add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, chopped capers, Dijon mustard and salt.
Whisk together to combine into a smooth sauce.
Heat butter on a hot plate or nonstick pan and shallow fry the crab cakes over medium heat from both sides.
Once the cakes are cooked remove from flame and keep aside.
In the same pan, add baby spinach and sauté to just remove the raw flavour from it.
Sprinkle lime juice and remove immediately.
Drizzle the prepared red pepper remoulade sauce on the plate and place the spinach on it.
Place the crab cakes on spinach and top with prepared green apple slaw and chive sprig on the side.