By Tina Swithin
Crab cakes can be traced back to historic American cookbooks written during the colonial days when fishermen ruled the New England coast line. Over the years, it has become a delicacy enjoyed by all Americans with a multitude of variations to the simple recipe. While meandering through the oak-studded hills between Paso Robles and Creston, I stumbled upon a famous crab cake recipe at Cass Winery that is too good to keep under wraps. This Maryland-style crab cake recipe is a house favorite at Cass Winery and is surely destined to become your house favorite too.
Cass Winery is known for its estate-grown, fruit forward wines which are hand-crafted in small lots. The Cass Café is under the direction of Chef Jacob Lovejoy and has a daily menu sure to please any visitor’s palate. Chef Jacob has graciously agreed to share the famous Cass Crab Cake recipe with me and I in turn, am pleased to share it with you.
Chef Jacob serves the delicious Cass Crab Cakes with a house-made remoulade and he recommends serving it with a salad of fresh baby greens on the side. A plethora of flavors are enveloped in this delectable crab cake which can be presented as an appetizer or a light lunch. Your guests will plead for the recipe after one bite of this tantalizing treat. While the simple crab cake recipe holds a place in the history books, this Cass Winery recipe sets a new standard which is hard to top.
I recommend pairing the Cass Crab Cakes with the Cass Winery 2009 Viognier. This particular Estate Viognier was fermented and matured in 100% stainless steel resulting in a wine that expresses true varietal flavors of a floral nose and tropical fruit flavors on the mid-palate. This fresh, new world style of wine pairs nicely with the crispy, hot crab cakes and a light salad.
Enjoy!
Chef Jacob’s Crab Cake Recipe
1 lb. Crabmeat (Phillips Crab)
½ cup Cooked Corn (frozen petite white corn)
¼ cup finely diced onion
½ cup finely diced green, yellow, red, or orange bell pepper
½ cup finely diced celery
½ cup mayonnaise
1/8 cup smooth Dijon mustard
Dash of Sirachi hot sauce
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups Panko bread crumbs (1 cup in mix, 1 cup for coating)
*Preheat oven to 425
Combine all ingredients and mix until ingredients are evenly incorporated without over mixing. Form crab mixture into eight balls/patties. Carefully coat the patties with the remaining 1 cup panko bread crumbs and chill covered for at least 30 minutes.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium-size skillet. Cook patties over medium heat until golden on one side (about 3 minutes) then flip to other side and place entire pan in oven for about 4 minutes.
Makes 4 lunch sized portions. Serve with side of remoulade and enjoy!
Chef Jacob’s Remoulade Recipe
1 cup Mayonnaise
¼ cup smooth Dijon mustard
1 minced shallot
2 Tbsp non-pariel capers, chopped
1 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice
½ tsp siracha hot sauce
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
Mix all together!
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