The Oceanaire Seafood Room's Maryland-style crab cakes
Dear SOS: Last February I ate dinner at the Oceanaire Seafood Room in Washington, D.C. Can you get the recipe for the crab cakes? There is nothing like them. The cake is more like a scoop of chicken salad than a formed cake.
Ellen Eubanks
Monrovia
Dear Ellen: Oceanaire Seafood Room was happy to share its recipe for these tender, soft crab cakes. The cakes are baked, not fried, and can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, then baked before serving. Perfect for company!
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, three-fourths teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning, tarragon, onion and celery to make a dressing.
In a large mixing bowl, toss the bread with half of the dressing, mixing until the dressing is absorbed by the bread and the cubes are slightly broken up. Add additional dressing if the cubes are too dry.
Gently mix in the crab, being careful not to break up the lump pieces. The mixture should hold its shape when formed into a ball with your hand. If it is too dry, add additional dressing until the mixture comes together. You might not use all of the dressing.
Divide the mixture and form into 8 crab cakes. Place the cakes on a greased cookie sheet or sheet pan.
In a small bowl, stir the butter together with the remaining one-half teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning. Top each cake with a small dollop of the seasoned butter.
Bake the cakes until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Serve warm.
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