Crab Cakes from Scott Woolley’s Cookbook

13 Mar Crab Cakes from Scott Woolley’s Cookbook

Elevate your home dining with Scott Woolley’s Crab Cakes—a gourmet treat made easy and affordable! This recipe combines fresh crab meat with Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, heavy cream, melted butter, and herbs for a rich, flavorful experience. Mix the ingredients, chill to bind, and then pan-fry and bake for crispy, golden perfection. Serve these crab cakes as an appetizer or main course, and enjoy a taste of fine dining without the hefty price tag.

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Crab Cakes

Often served as hors d’oeuvres in special events or in fine dining restaurants, crab cakes have easily gotten the reputation of being too lavish for everyday meals. But what if we told you that you can prepare and serve crab cakes at home without overshooting your budget for the week? After all, aren’t crab cakes simply shredded crab meat and breadcrumbs? OK, so maybe that seems to be oversimplifying a fancy recipe, but all we’re saying is that it’s possible. To prove this point, we’ve scoured the net far and wide for the tastiest crab cakes recipe. After trying out a dozen easy ones, we’ve finally come across one of the easiest (not to mention the tastiest) mix.

Follow along as we borrow this special recipe from Scott Woolley’s book Cooking for the Family: All You Need is Love, But a Great Meal Doesn’t Hurt.

It’s easy, tasty, and is reminiscent of those once-in-a-blue moon fine dining experiences that we indulge in every once in a while. This recipe has all the flavor of a great-tasting meal without the price tag to match.

Preparing your ingredients and buying crab meat

Before we jump right in, let’s get to know the components of what makes a good crab cake. Most recipes will call for:

1. Shellfish meat is the main source of protein.

Crab cakes aren’t necessarily made out of crab meat. Some opt to use other shellfish meat such as scallops, lobster, or shrimp too. Of course, each comes with its pros and cons when it comes to texture and flavor. Personally, we prefer using crab meat just so we can, in good conscience, say that we’re serving crab meat in our crab cakes.

Important reminder: when buying crabs, make sure to buy the freshest ones that you can get from the market. How your crab cakes will end up tasting will depend on the quality of this main ingredient.

2. Starch, a binder, and a moistening agent to hold and give body to the shellfish meat.

Some recipes ask for bread or bread crumbs. In the recipe that we’re following. We will be using melted butter, heavy cream, and mayonnaise to bind the ingredients and add flavor too. This combination, as we have discovered, works very well to add taste to the food without the overpowering and overly seasoned taste.

3. Seasonings to enhance (not overpower) your crab cakes.

Some common seasoning and flavoring are minced onions and mustard. Some recipes also call for Worcestershire sauce, but Scott Woolley’s recipe sticks to just whole grain mustard, shallots, garlic, and a mixture of herbs. This way, the delicate flavor of the crab meat isn’t overpowered by all of the other flavors. 

Ready to try out this coastal delicacy at home? We’re sharing this perfectly-balanced crab cakes recipe with you below—follow along as we make another batch for the nth time.

Cooking your crab cakes

This tasty creation is for all of you crab cakes enthusiasts out there who are on a budget. Get a taste of fine dining without compromising the taste.

For the best crab cakes you’ve ever tasted and cooked, you will need the following:

1 tbsp Dijon

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

1 oz heavy cream

1 oz melted butter

1 ½ oz olive oil

3 ½ oz mayo

1 egg

1 tbsp of chopped shallots

1 tbsp of garlic, finely chopped

¼ tea of old bay

2 tbsp mixed fresh herbs: basil, dill, parsley, cilantro, tarragon

1 lb crab meat

¾ cup bread crumbs

Once you’ve gathered up your ingredients, let’s get to cooking.

Here’s what you need to do next:

Step 1:

In a container, mix all of your wet ingredients together: your heavy cream, melted butter, olive oil, and mayo.

Step 2:

Next, add in your finely chopped garlic, shallots, and herb old bay.

Step 3:

Now you’re ready to add in your crab meat.

Helpful tip: do not break up the crab meat so it doesn’t end up too mushy when you bite into it.

Step 4:

Mix in your bread crumbs and fold them in so you get a crunch in every bite.

Step 5:

Put the mixture in the refrigerator for at least half an hour to allow it to set. This is an important step so the ingredients can bind together properly. If after half an hour and the mixture still appears runny, simply add in more breadcrumbs.

Step 6:

On a sheet pan, start forming your cram cakes at approximately 2 oz each.

Step 7:

Heat up the pan and saute the crab cakes, flipping one side and the next until you they become a nice and even golden brown color.

Step 8:

Cook all again in the oven for about 14 minutes at 400°.

This recipe serves up to 10 hungry stomachs. . .enjoy!