My first experience with a giant crab cake that fills a cast iron skillet was near Wilkes-Barre, PA. Our vehicle was crippled by horrendous potholes on the interstate highway. After a tire change in pouring down rain, we limped into the parking lot of a Pennsylvania Dutch pub.
There my better half tasted her first chicken and waffles. She declared it an abomination that would never darken her plate again, but not because it tasted badly. She just thought it a combination of two things that shouldn’t be combined.
My experience, a crab cake as big as a dinner plate served in a hot cast iron skillet was the polar opposite. Served with a heavenly aioli, it relieved the sting of our bad fortune on the road.
Let’s Make a Giant Crab Cake
This will make two giant crab cakes, six to eight small ones or a single, mammoth-size cake. If you make the largest, you may have to use a shovel to turn it!
Crush the crackers and gently combine with the lump crab meat in a bowl.
Mix the wet ingredients except for the canola oil in another bowl until it is thoroughly combined. Then gently fold the mayo mixture into the crab and cracker mix.
Divide the mix into halves, then form into 2 patties about an inch thick on two pieces of parchment paper. Heat the canola oil in a cast iron skillet until it shimmers, then carefully place a crab cake into the oil and fry for 3 minutes.
Turn carefully, using two extra large spatulas to avoid breaking the cake, then fry another 3 minutes until both sides are golden brown.
Serve in the skillet on a hot plate with roasted red pepper aioli.
Giant Crab Cake
Extra large lump crab cakes served hot in a cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb large lump crab meat
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 large egg – lightly beaten
- 1 TBL dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Crystal hot sauce
- 1 TBL worcestershire sauce
- 20 saltine crackers – crushed well
- 1/4 cup canola oil – for frying
- 1 lemon – quartered for garnish
- Roasted red pepper aioli – get the recipe HERE
Instructions
- Lightly whisk the egg, then whisk in the mayo, mustard, hot sauce and worcestershire sauce until smooth
- In a second bowl gently combine the lump crab and crushed crackers, then fold in the mayo mixture as gently as possible to avoid breaking up the lump crab. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour
- Divide the crab mix into two halves, then form and lightly pack into two patties about 1″ thick on separate pieces of parchment paper on a small cutting board
- OR: form into 6-8 smaller crab cakes if making appetizers instead of entrees
- For giant cakes prepare two cast iron skillets or carbon steel pans. (non-stick pans just don’t properly brown the crab cakes). Divide the oil, place it in the pans and heat over medium heat until it shimmers. Carefully slide the cakes into the skillets and fry for 3 minutes without touching them.
- Carefully turn each crab cake using extra large spatulas to avoid breaking them apart and fry three more minutes
- Carefully turn each cake again and fry 1 more minute. Remove the crab cakes from the heat and serve in the skillet on hot pads with a side of roasted red pepper aioli and two of the quartered lemon pieces.