Ginger, Cilantro, and Coconut Milk Crab Cakes

As soon as I typed the title of this post I had a sudden mental image of appalled Baltimore-born life-long crab cake-eaters shuddering at the very thought of someone tampering so drastically with the traditional Maryland crab cake formula.

"Ginger, cilantro, and coconut," I hear them gasp (or snort, or sneer, or snarl). "In a crab cake?"

Heresy,  I know.

And certainly I understand objections to tampering with perfection. Some things are perfect just as they are and cannot be improved upon. Apple pie and BLT's immediately come to mind as do those perfect 1960s sitcoms such as Bewitched that are forever being remade as movies. Fancy them up all you want, "update" them to your heart's content. They won't be better than the original.

Yet I have long looked at this recipe in Barbara Tropp's China Moon Cookbook and always thought that coconut milk would nicely complement the sweetness of the crabs. And after all what are crab cakes but a way of showcasing crabs? I'm happily willing to check out non-traditional flavorings if they do the job. And besides, what's non-traditional for someone living in Baltimore would be completely traditional for someone living on the other side of the world.

A couple of things about crabs:

All crabs are not created equal. The blue claw, which is found up and down the Atlantic coast and in the Gulf of Mexico but is particularly identified with the Chesapeake Bay, has meat that is sweet and rich -- far more sweet and rich than its cousins the Dungeness crab and the snow crab which are the only other crabs I'm familiar with. Blue claw crabmeat makes the best crab cakes, and of the grades that are normally offered -- jumbo lump, backfin, special, and claw -- jumbo lump and backfin make the best crabcake.

The crab meat they sell at Costco or Trader Joe's for $9.99 a pound? Not from the blue claw. The meat of  the blue claw is not inexpensive. In the summer, when crabs are in season locally, blue claw jumbo lump is more than $20 a pound. In the winter months it can be well over $30 a pound. But crab meat from China or India (or even California) will not have the incomparable sweetness and richness of a blue claw, and the single most important component of your crab cake is the crab meat.

However, most of the crab meat I see these days is not from the blue claw. At my local Whole Foods the crab comes from India, at Sterling's, a nearby seafood store, the jumbo lump they are selling is from China. In fact, the crab I used for these came from China -- not my first choice obviously, but then again, who expects to go to a seafood store in Baltimore and find only Chinese crab available? Not me.

Barbara Tropp's recipe I will definitely try again. This was good and I think with the right crab meat it will be stunning.

Barbara Tropp's Crab Cakes with Ginger, Cilantro, and Coconut Milk

1/4 a bunch of cilantro (or more to taste -- the orignal recipe uses one entire bunch), leaves and stems, finely chopped
2 tablespoons grated ginger
4 scallions, sliced into thin rings using the white part and about two inches of the green
1 teaspoon (or more to taste) Chinese chile sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup coconut milk
2  pieces white sandwich bread (the same type as Pepperidge Farm), crusts removed, in tiny pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound jumbo lump blue claw crabmeat

1. In a bowl, mix the cilantro, ginger, scallions, chile paste, salt, coconut milk, bread, and egg together. Set aside.

2. Inspect the crab meat for bits of shell being very careful not to break up the big lumps of crab.

3. Gently fold the cilantro ginger mixture into the crab. Taste for seasoning. Gently but firmly press the crab meat mixture into patties. I did this by filling 3-inch english muffin rings with the crab mixture, removing the ring and then gently pressing the edges towards the center. Place the patties on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and let it sit in the refrigerator for about an hour which will make the crab cakes firmer and less prone to breaking apart.

4. Generously film a cast iron frying pan or whatever frying pan you may have with vegetable oil (this would not be the time to use olive oil) and saute the crab cakes until browned. Turn gently and brown the second side.

BTW, if you are interested in traditional crab cakes there was an excellent  article in the Baltimore City Paper a week or two ago with excellent pointers about making a crab cake. You can also find a recipe from Maryland's U.S.senator Barbara Mikulski on her web page. In the New York Times archives there's a great article from the late R. W. Apple Jr. about crab cakes and other Baltimore eats which you can find here.

Comments

[Adele]

Oh, yum. Authentic or not, these sound great - a bit like Thai fishcakes.

As for improving on the BLT... I rather like the addition of avocado, or sweet chili jam and shreds of basil. :)

[rachel]

I think it sounds yummy. The problem I always face is that crab is so expensive that when I go to make it, I can't bring myself to attempt too much experimentation.

[Claudia (cook eat FRET)]

i love this twist on crabcakes. it'd go over really well here in this house. but yes, i fear it'll have to be the non-blue crab for me too. i hate buying the substandard version but blue is tough to get your hands on - especially in Tn.

[Kitt]

That sounds like a fabulous flavor combination. And not being from the East Coast, I have no prejudices against non-traditional crab cakes.

Without experimenting, where would we be?

[FAIRFAX]

WHATTTTTTTT??????

[Anne]

Add coconut to just about anything and I'm game. These look beautiful and sound delicious. Would love to try them! Why no Maryland blue crab, though? Are there crabbing laws now? Or are they out of season?

[Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)]

I'm okay with the coconut milk, but I'm not a cilantro lover, so that would have to change to flat-leaf parsley. Maybe the secret is to call it something other than a crab cake -- maybe a crab patty?

[anticiplate]

Wow! I am speechless. What great flavors to put in a crab cake. I am glad you tampered with tradition:)

[Meg]

Tropp was based in SF, so she may have intended to have dungeness (I will refrain from behaving provincially and smack talking about the advantages of Dungeness compared to blue crab, because although those suckers can pinch viciously; you're right, blue crabs' flesh is sweeter). This looks like the perfect recipe to convert my kids to the joys of crabcakes (and I am a sucker for almost all things Thai). Thanks for sharing.

[Patricia Scarpin]

Julie, that dish is calling out my name. It looks mouthwatering!
That recipe has a Bill Granger feel in it, because of the ingredients. I'd love to try it.

[Carole (France)]

This crab cake recipe looks gorgeous to me! A great variation of the traditional recipe. I keep it in mind for later, and bookmark your blog to visit it again.

[michelle @ TNS]

tradition be damned, those flavors sound like they would be gorgeous with crab.

whenever i find jumbo lump blue crab in a market, i snap it up. yum.

[off the meat hook]

Mmm those look great! I am absolutely going to try them. Thanks for sharing.

And I think crab cakes should definitely be up for interpretation.

[Crab Cake Guy]

I can't wait to try this recipe and review it on the Crab Cake Guy blog. The cilantro could be a real nice compliment to the crab. Thanks
-The Crab Cake Guy

[Susan from Food Blogga]

I said, "ginger, cilantro, and coconut in crab cakes? Yes!" :)
I love this modern take on a traditional dish. Thanks, Julie!

[brilynn]

Those sounds awesome! I love the additional flavours!

[aria]

ohmy goodness, such fresh vivid flavors -- i love it all. YUM!

[Lore]

The cake looks yummy and I like all its flavours except for the coconut milk....could I replace it with somthing else?

[White On Rice Couple]

Wonderful, wonderful and delicious! All the ingredients you used here , I have in my pantry. I'll have to try it and I'm already craving it!

[sher]

I love the idea of those flavors. I also love traditional crab cakes, but those Asian flavors are perfect with crab. And beautiful picture!

[Michelle]

Love the new look - it's gorgeous! And these crab cakes sound like they would taste just about as spectacular as they look. I love asian ingredients in food - we can have the original sometimes too, it's always good to take chances!!

[Julie]

Adele, I was just about to say no! no! no! but I’ve never tried basil on a BLT before and when I thought about it, it seemed like a good idea. I’ll have to get back to you on this sometime in July though when I’ve had a chance to test it. Sweet chili jam I’m saying no to though. :)

Rachel, I know exactly what you mean. I feel the same way about expensive pieces of fish also.

Claudia, I understand that access to seafood is not one of the benefits of living in Nashville. Maybe the next time you’re in Maryland…

Kitt, you make a very good point.

Fairfax, I know. Can you believe it?

Anne, they’re just out of season here right now.

Lydia, hmmm… crab patty? It just doesn’t have the same ring, does it?

Anticiplate, heh, tamper with tradition, I like that. And thanks.

Meg, you’re absolutely right. I’m sure Barbara Tropp did this with Dungeness crabs. And obviously you’re not overly mired in regional ways if you can concede the blue claw’s superior taste. :)

Patricia, this does remind me of something of Bill Grangers now that you say it. I’ll have to check his books and see if he has any crab cake recipes.

Carole, thanks!

Michelle, I think that’s exactly the right reaction to have when you find crab in the market.

Off the meat hook, as long as the crab flavor is really accented and not overwhelmed, I totally agree with you.

Crab Cake Guy, I admire your area of specialization.

Susan, thanks for the yes vote.

Brilynn, thanks!

Aria, thanks!

Lore, you might try leaving it out and perhaps using a tablespoon or so of fish sauce to add flavor.

White on Rice Couple, hope you like it!

Michelle, thanks! And you’re right, taking chances is a good thing.

[katie]

The only crabmeat I can get is in tins and shredded so fine you can barely tell what it is...and expensive!
So, I've taken to making tuna cakes. I think you're recipe will make a lovely tuna cake (And no one on the Eastern Shore will be upset....)

[Julie]

Katie, it's not possible to buy good crab meat in France? Who knew? I'm interested to hear about the tuna cakes idea though.

[John]

This is an unusual way to serve a crab cake in this town. I love coconut milk.

[Dara]

When I come up I want this ~

[roopa]

Those sound great! (Well, except for the crab :)

[Julie]

Dara, I'll definitely make these for you.

Roopa, I'm not sure how you'd make a crab cake without crab. I look to you for suggestions! :-)

[Nan]

My Maryland born hubby probably will eat these only if I tell him their not crab cakes...he's a purist...but I can't wait to try them! Love your blog! Nan