MORE CHRISTMAS EVE FOOD – REAL CRAB CAKES MUFFIN STYLE

REAL CRAB CAKES – MUFFIN STYLE

This is one of the Seafood recipes that we used at the Christmas Eve Vigil which Hannah again wanted to hold at our house.  For a Christmas Eve at B.K.’s home, we also made the more commercial crab cakes which contain a lot of other ingredients.  Hannah’s cousin B.G. likes the Real Crab Cakes, as we do – you can actually taste the crab meat because there are few ingredients.  This takes two packets of Blue Swimming Crab which is the kind of crab used in real Crab Cakes – they are not made with the large red Alaskan crabs.  And it’s so nice that blue swimming crab now comes in the very fresh packets since the canned item is now harder to find.

Wonderful too, that Hannah had Winter Break and was able to take some photos of the food we used so that the recipes can be used for blogs.  Here’s the recipe for the Muffin Tin Crab Cakes we made.  Yes, as often is done, these can also be formed into patties and pan fried.  This will make 12 crab cakes.

REAL CRAB CAKES

2 packets – 4 1/4 ounces each Blue Swimming Crab Lump Meat

1/4 cup – fine bread crumbs

1 1/2 teaspoons – thinly sliced green onions

2 large eggs, beaten

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

2 Tablespoons drained, finely diced roast red peppers

7 teaspoons melted butter

12 foil muffin cup liners

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Check the inexpensive store-bought thermometer which has been placed into the oven, against the temperature set on the range.

Place foil muffin cup liners into the muffin tin, if using.  Put 1/2 teaspoon melted butter in the bottom of each foil muffin cup liner – or in the bottom of each muffin cup.  Preheat the muffin tin about 5 minutes – use oven mitts that cover your forearm.

Mix together all but the Crab meat.  Gently stir in the crab and spoon equal amounts of the mixture into the buttered muffin tin liners or muffin cups.  Each muffin cup should be about 1/2 full.

Bake in the middle of the oven – at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes.  About 3 minutes before they should be done, check one crab cake.  The crab cakes should be sizzling and browned on top as well as on the sides.  They should be puffed up and the bottom should not be burned.  If necessary, turn the range’s oven temp up to 400 degrees to brown the crab cakes.

Remove the muffin pan from the oven and place it on a rack – cool the crab cakes in the pan for 5 minutes.  Then remove them from the muffin tin and serve while warm or room temp – with lemon butter sauce as in the recipe that follows.

Delicious Lemon Butter Sauce:

1/4 pound butter (one stick or 8 Tablespoons)

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

Melt the butter on medium low – heat it to a sizzle and add the lemon juice.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the dried tarragon.  Let sauce sit for two minutes before using.  This sauce can be drizzled over crab cakes – as desired.

These crab cakes are also very good when served with cheddar garlic biscuits and a fresh tomato cucumber salad, or with tomato soup.

The foil baking cups by Reynolds, are wonderful because they are so easily removed from their contents without leaving anything on the liner.  We buy several at a time to have them on hand.  It’s rare to run out of Lawry’s Lemon Pepper Seasoning since Hannah uses it often. And in addition to the Progresso Bread Crumbs, we do use other Progresso products.

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