If you read my Tale of the Crab Cakes post, then you know that they looked good until they went into the oven. I made the mistake of using a metal pan instead of glass. I tweeted about this the night I made them and was offered an AMAZING opportunity. Chesapeake’s invited me to learn to make crab cakes from their chef. How cool is that?
For those of you out-of-town, Chesapeake’s is the BEST seafood place in Knoxville. And I am not just saying that. They have awards to back it up, which I will show you later. This post will be all about the crab cakes.
If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that Chesapeake’s is part of our New Year’s Eve tradition.
Chesapeake’s New Year’s Eve – December 31st, 2011
Chesapeake’s New Year’s Eve – December 31st, 2012
Well come to find out, I have been missing out by only ordering the lobster at Chesapeake’s. Their crab cakes are incredible.
Want to know what’s in the crab cakes?
CRAB!
Want to know what’s NOT in the crab cakes?
BREAD CRUMBS!
Seriously. They do NOT put any bread crumbs IN the crab cakes. They sprinkle a little on the dish and on the crab cake right before they go in the oven. And yes, they use glass, not metal when cooking them. Most restaurant crab cakes are more breading than crab.
So, I bet you want the recipe? Well, you are not getting it from me. Sorry! But I will tell you some tips and tricks.
Make sure to drain the lump cake meat really good before using it. Look at this neat setup they use. Pretty cool and inventive!
They call the “liquid” that binds the crab meat together “Imperial Mix.” I will tell you it is VERY similar to the simple crab cake recipe that I used. There is no butter or breading in their mix.
For every pound of crab meat, they used a ladle full of Imperial Mix. They are careful to break up the crab but to not be rough. Very gentle.
And, I was excited that they used an ice cream scoop to portion the crab cakes. That’s what I did! They scoop the crab cakes onto a glass plate that has a few bread crumbs, then they sprinkle a few bread crumbs on top.
They go into the oven (ON A GLASS PLATE) for 8 minutes on 475. HOWEVER, remember that restaurant ovens are different from ovens in a house. When they come out of the oven, they plate them.
Here I am with Chef Rodney!
Here I am enjoying the crab cake:
This is what your plate will look like after the meal! ALL DONE!
I enjoyed every BITE of my crab cake and my mother LOVED hers. They were so moist and what you tasted was the delicious flavor of crab, not breading or butter.
Thanks to my Mom for many of the photos you see here. She was the official photographer! I cannot thank Bart enough for setting this up. HUGE thanks to Ken, Rodney, and all of the Chesapeake’s staff for being so friendly.
Do you like crab cakes? Have you ever been in a restaurant kitchen?
TGIF! Enjoy your Friday!
Disclaimer: I am not an employee of Chesapeake’s or any of their sister companies. I do frequent them on a regular basis however as I love their food. I did NOT receive any payment for this post (except for the crab cake I got to eat). I was given a fabulous opportunity to learn and the chance to write a blog post about it. All opinions are mine.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
We make salmon patties at home, but I’ve never thought to use a scooper. Great idea! Thanks.
What a fun way to spend the day! And delicious too!
As all my friends know, crabcakes are the only seafood/fish I eat. So, I’ve eaten ALOT of crabcakes and I do have to agree that Chesapeake’s are the best! Looks like you had a blast!
This is so cool! Yes I remember your crab cakes and how sweet your hubby was to eat them without complaints! Wow! Lucky girl! They look delicious!
Looks like you had a great time!
How fun!! I love crab cakes and those look so fresh and delicious!
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