Celebrating summer with crab cakes, made many ways

Many of those crab cakes — or shrimp cakes or fish cakes — are made more densely than the traditional Maryland crab cake, which are bound with just enough noncrab ingredients to keep the lump crabmeat from falling apart in the pan. The farther you get from crabbing country, the more crab cakes look like burger patties, with more filler ingredients to help stretch out the expensive seafood.

Instead of using fresh white bread, many crab cake cooks use dried breadcrumbs or the Japanese panko, but brown rice, quinoa or other leftover grains also work wonders to bind crab cakes together.

You might be tempted to make crab cakes out of the less-expensive imitation crab, but the artificial flavoring used to make that pressed white fish taste like crab does not make a tasty crab cake. You’d be better off using flaked fish to make a fish cake.

The good news is that this time of year, you can find lump crabmeat for less per pound than fancy steak — between $12-14 if you’re lucky — or as much as $24 in a can at grocery stores with a smaller seafood selection.

Fresh breadcrumbs, an egg, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce are the key components for a traditional Maryland crab cake, but most people who grew up near the Chesapeake Bay can’t imagine eating one without Old Bay Seasoning. That spice blend of mustard, paprika, celery salt, bay leaf, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, mace, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom and ginger has been around for more than 75 years, but it’s too overpowering or salty for some tastes.

When you start to branch out into the world of crab cake-inspired dishes, as in a crab cake mac and cheese from "Southern Cooking for Company: More than 200 Southern Hospitality Secrets and Show-Off Recipes" by Nicki Pendleton Wood, crab, breadcrumbs and a little bit of tang — from hot sauce, mustard, remoulade or a spicy aioli — will often do the trick.

The mix of crab cake with seasoning and breadcrumbs or panko is great for stuffing everything, from portobello mushrooms to butterflied shrimp. You can fill muffin tins with the mixture to bake mini crab cakes to serve on salads or in a slider. For a party-pleasing dip, mix the crab cake ingredients with cream cheese and Parmesan cheese and top with breadcrumbs, just as you would a spinach artichoke dip.

Speaking of artichokes, they make a great substitute for the crab itself if you're making vegan "crab" cakes, according to Kristy Turner, author of "But I Could Never Go Vegan!" Other meat-free alternatives are grated or shredded zucchini, summer squash or finely chopped hearts of palm.

The line between a crab-free crab cake and a fritter is thin, but in general, you’ll want to use less of a batter-like bind to keep it like a cake. That’s ironic, of course, because most traditional cakes require a batter. But even without one, crab cakes are a cause for celebration.

Crab Cake Mac and Cheese

This decadent mac and cheese breaks the “no cheese and shellfish” rule, but I didn’t hear any complaints when I served it recently. With four cheeses, a stick of butter and cream, it’s heavy, so feel free to lighten the casserole with 1 cup cream and 3 cups milk. You can also cut the butter in half without missing it in the final dish. For more of a kick, double the lemon zest, hot sauce and Dijon mustard. Parsley isn’t my favorite, so I left it out, but a colleague suggested dill, which would definitely invoke the taste of crab cake.

1 (16-oz.) package cavatappi or other spiral pasta

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 quart heavy cream

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese

1 cup shredded Fontina cheese

Dash of freshly grated nutmeg

1 lb. lump crabmeat

1 large shallot, diced

Finely grated peel of 1 small lemon

1 tsp. hot pepper sauce, or to taste

1 tsp. Dijon-style mustard

1 Tbsp. white truffle oil (optional)

1 cup panko or dry breadcrumbs

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch-by-12-inch baking dish or six to eight individual baking dishes. Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Gradually add cream, whisking to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the Swiss, Gruyère, and Fontina cheeses and the nutmeg. Cook until the cheeses melt.

In a large bowl combine the crabmeat, shallot, lemon peel, hot sauce and mustard, and mix well. In a medium bowl combine the truffle oil, panko, Parmesan and parsley, and mix well.

Add the pasta to the crab mixture. Pour in the cheese sauce, add salt and pepper, and stir gently a few times to loosely combine. The mixture will be soupy. Pour the mixture into the baking dish or into individual serving dishes. Spread the panko mixture over the top. Gently pat down.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the panko topping is slightly browned and the pasta mixture is bubbling at the sides. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 10 to 12.

— From "Southern Cooking for Company: More than 200 Southern Hospitality Secrets and Show-Off Recipes" by Nicki Pendleton Wood (Thomas Nelson, $26.99)

South Carolina Shrimp Burgers

New England has the lobster roll and Maryland its famous crab cakes, but when it comes to shrimp, it’s time to head south. The shrimp burgers served up in South Carolina put the region’s sweet shrimp front and center. Without the buns, you can serve them as shrimp cakes. Don’t forget the homemade tartar sauce!

The editors at America’s Test Kitchen use untreated shrimp — those without added sodium or preservatives like sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP). Most frozen shrimp have been treated; the ingredient list should tell you. If you’re using untreated shrimp, increase the amount of salt to 1/2 teaspoon. If you’re purchasing shell-on shrimp, you should buy about 1 1/2 pounds.

For the tartar sauce:

3/4 cup mayonnaise

3 Tbsp. finely chopped dill pickles, plus 1 teaspoon brine

1 small shallot, minced

1 Tbsp. capers, rinsed and chopped fine

1/4 tsp. pepper

For the patties:

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 1/4 lb. large shrimp (26 to 30 per pound), peeled, veins and tails removed

2 Tbsp. mayonnaise

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

3 scallions, chopped fine

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

4 hamburger buns

4 leaves bibb lettuce

For the tartar sauce: Combine all ingredients in bowl and refrigerate until needed.

For the patties: Pulse panko in food processor until finely ground, about 15 pulses; transfer to shallow dish. Place one-third of shrimp (1 cup), mayonnaise, pepper, salt and cayenne in now-empty processor and pulse until shrimp are finely chopped, about 8 pulses. Add remaining two-thirds of shrimp (2 cups) to shrimp mixture in processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, about 4 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer shrimp mixture to bowl and stir in scallions.

Divide shrimp mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick patties — about 1/2 cup each. Working with one patty at a time, dredge both sides of patties in panko, pressing lightly to adhere, and transfer to plate.

Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Place patties in skillet and cook until golden brown on first side, 3 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip and continue to cook until shrimp registers 140 to 145 degrees and second side is golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Transfer patties to paper towel-lined plate and let drain, about 30 seconds per side.

Spread tartar sauce on bun bottoms, then place patties and lettuce on top. Cover with bun tops. Serves four.

— From "Cook's Country Eats Local: 150 Regional Recipes You Should Be Making No Matter Where You Live" (America's Test Kitchen, $26.95)

Gluten-Free Cajun Crab Cakes

Gluten-free crab cakes can be hard to find at restaurants because of the breading used to bind and crisp up the cakes. Blogger and author Kyndra Holley had the crazy idea to use crushed pork rinds to hold it all together. Holley, who serves these guys with a homemade Russian dressing, says you can’t taste the pork rinds but they hold the mixture together well, as long as you don’t flip them too many times in the pan. This recipe yields eight fairly large, entrée-size patties. If you make smaller patties, you could easily get 16 out of this recipe.

For the Russian dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp. spicy brown mustard

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp. fresh chives, chopped

1 tsp. fresh dill, chopped

For the crab cakes:

2 Tbsp. butter

1 large rib celery, chopped

1/2 cup mixed bell pepper, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

1 large egg

2 Tbsp. mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. spicy brown mustard

1 tsp. hot sauce

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 cup crushed pork rinds

1 lb. crab meat, picked clean of shells

2 Tbsp. olive oil

To make the dressing: Combine dressing ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and mix until well incorporated. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours before serving. Makes 2 cups.

For crab cakes: Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. In the pan, melt the butter, then add the celery, bell pepper, shallot, garlic, sea salt and black pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are translucent and soft, about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, mayonnaise, Worcestershire, spicy brown mustard and hot sauce. Add the sautéed vegetables and mix until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Mix in the Parmesan cheese and pork rinds. Fold the crab into the mixture.

Line a large plate or rimmed baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Form the crab mixture into eight equal-size patties. Place the patties on the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Pan-fry in olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, until the crab cakes are golden brown and crispy on each side.

— From "The Primal Low-Carb Kitchen: Comfort Food Recipes for the Carb Conscious Cook" by Kyndra Holley (Page Street Publishing, $19.99)

Artichoke Crab Cakes with Sriracha Tartar Sauce

Flaky, soft, briny. No, I’m not talking about crab; I’m talking about artichoke hearts, silly! Those three traits were the main reason I decided to use artichoke hearts as the base for recreating vegan crab cakes. If you do not wish to fry the fritters, heat the oven to 400 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, and lightly spray with olive oil. Spread the patties on the prepared sheet and lightly spray with olive oil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until firm and golden, flipping once halfway through to ensure even cooking.

— Kristy Turner

For the sriracha tartar sauce:

1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise

1 to 2 Tbsp. sriracha

1 Tbsp. juice from a jar of capers

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

For the artichoke crab cakes:

1 cup oyster crackers or crushed saltine crackers

Two 15-ounce cans artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained well

3 to 4 scallions, finely chopped, plus more for garnish

1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup corn kernels (fresh, or defrosted if frozen)

2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

1/2 tsp. kelp granules (optional)

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Canola oil, for frying

In a small bowl, whisk together the sriracha tartar sauce ingredients. Chill until ready to use.

Place the oyster crackers in a food processor and process into the consistency of coarse flour with small chunks. Set aside in a small bowl.

Place the artichoke hearts in a food processor and pulse six to seven times, until broken up but still chunky. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the scallions, red bell pepper, corn kernels, Old Bay, kelp granules, garlic powder, dried parsley, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper. Stir in the oyster cracker “flour.”

Use a 1/4-cup measuring cup to scoop out the artichoke mixture. Using your hands, shape patties and place on a plate. Set a large frying pan, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Pour in enough oil to coat the bottom and heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Line a plate with paper towels.

Place three to four patties in the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until crisp and browned all over. Place on the plate with more paper towels on top to absorb the excess oil. Repeat with the remaining patties, adding more oil as necessary, until all are cooked. Serve topped with the Sriracha Tartar Sauce and remaining scallions.

— From "But I Could Never Go Vegan!: 125 Recipes That Prove You Can Live Without Cheese, It's Not All Rabbit Food, and Your Friends Will Still Come Over for Dinner" by Kristy Turner (The Experiment, $23.95)