Crab Cakes

Test Recipe and Production Notes

Original notes dated Saturday, February 26, 2022, 2:12 PM

Test-Batch Formula

Yield: One 8-ounce crab-meat test batch
Crab blend: 4 ounces jumbo lump + 4 ounces lump crab meat

Crab and Cracker Binder

Amount	Ingredient
4 oz	Jumbo lump crab meat
4 oz	Lump crab meat
12 each	Saltine crackers, lightly crushed
OR 15 each	Ritz crackers, lightly crushed (preferred in testing)

Wet Ingredients

Amount	Ingredient
2	Egg yolks
1/4 cup	Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp	Maille whole-grain mustard
1 tsp	Lemon juice
1/4 tsp	Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp	Tabasco sauce

Dry Ingredients

Amount	Ingredient
1 tsp	Kosher salt
1 tsp	Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp	Dried dill
1/4 tsp	Dried tarragon
1/4 tsp	Granulated garlic
1/4 tsp	Coleman's dry mustard
2 Tbsp	Flour, for additional binding

Preferred Binding Method

Use the flour in the 8-ounce test batch for additional binding.
After forming, cover the uncooked crab cakes with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cooking.
Overnight refrigeration produced the ideal binding in testing.

Mise en Place and Equipment

Hand whisk
Rubber spatula
2 to 3 mixing bowls
Large bus tub for dirty dishes
Citrus reamer
Fine strainer
Liquid measuring cup
Dry and wet measuring spoons
Scale
Plastic portion cup
Zip-top bag for crushing crackers (optional)
1/3-cup All-Clad or AMCO portion scoop/form
Plastic wrap
Saute pan
Sheet pan or oven-safe pan
Nonstick cooking spray
Peanut oil

Assembly

Gather and measure all dry ingredients.
Gather and measure all wet ingredients.
Separate the egg yolks from the whites.
Lightly crush the crackers in a zip-top bag or directly in a bowl.
In a large bowl, combine the cracker crumbs and crab meat. Fold gently to preserve the lumps of crab.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, mayonnaise, whole-grain mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and Tabasco.
Combine the kosher salt, Old Bay, dill, tarragon, granulated garlic, dry mustard, and flour.
Add the wet and dry mixtures to the crab mixture. Fold gently until evenly combined. Do not overmix.
Portion and form as either patties (hockey-puck shape) or balls.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour; overnight is preferred.

Cooking Method 1 - Patties

Saute and oven finish - best recorded result

Preheat a saute pan to 370 degrees F for 3 1/2 minutes.
Reduce the pan setting to 320 degrees F for 3 1/2 minutes.
Coat lightly with nonstick cooking spray and peanut oil.
Saute the crab cakes for 3 minutes per side.
Finish in a 425 degrees F convection oven for 4 minutes.

Recorded result: Perfect.

Important: Holding the pan at 370 degrees F scorched the cooking spray and browned the crab cakes too deeply. A 320 degrees F cooking setting worked better.

Cooking Method 2 - Balls

Convection oven only

Heat the convection oven to 425 degrees F.
Bake the crab-cake balls for 14 minutes.
Recorded internal temperature: 142 degrees F.

Testing note: The cakes could cook about 30 seconds longer, but no more; additional cooking may burn and dry them.

Test Results and Observations

Ritz crackers rated slightly better than saltines (approximately 0.1 better in the original comparison).
Saltines were also acceptable.
Panko was not as successful.
Flour plus overnight refrigeration produced the ideal binding.
Claw meat was not successful; it was oily and dark brown.
The wet mixture and seasonings were at the high end of the desired flavor level and may be too spicy for some guests.

Portioning and Customer-Perceived Value

Use a 1/3-cup All-Clad or AMCO tool for consistent sizing.
Test a patty or hockey-puck shape for sauteing and oven finishing.
Test a Ruth's Chris-style ball for convection-oven cooking.
Compare the ball and patty for dimensions, appearance, portion size, plating, and customer-perceived value.

Plating and Garnish

No plating or garnish details were recorded in the original notes.