# Baked Crab Cake (Bear Style)



## Bearcarver (Feb 11, 2016)

*Baked Crab Cake *(Bear Style)

I always hated when my Crab Cakes fall apart anywhere from while I’m making them until they get to my plate.
So I figured why not make them into one large cake in a pan, instead of having to form individual patties. Then cut them into whatever serving size I want after they’re all done.
This really works Great, and you don’t even have to get your hands into the mix at all.

So I took a bunch of Pictures for you guys, and recorded everything I can think of that I did:

*Ingredients:*
1 LB Crab Meat
1 Egg
2 TBS Mayo (Miracle Whip)
1 TBS Yellow Mustard
1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/3 Cup of Crushed “Cheez-its”
3 TBS Butter

*Instructions:*
In a mixing bowl, combine & mix all ingredients except Crab Meat & Butter. Fold in Crab Meat. Transfer to foil pan & spread evenly in pan. Melt and spoon Butter on surface, and place in 375° oven until Golden Brown, and at least 165° IT (about 25 to 30 minutes).

I like to cut into 6 servings.

Thanks for looking,

Bear



Everything needed to make this Crab Cake:








Close-up of the ingredients:







Everything mixed well except the Crab Meat:







Folding Crab Meat into the mix:







Coat the bottom of foil pan with Butter:







Transfer mixture into foil pan, and spread evenly:







Spoon melted butter on the top, and put in Oven (I like my Toaster Oven).







Remove from 375° oven when golden brown & at least 165° IT (about 25 to 30 minutes):







First cut of Crab Cake went real good with my Breaded Pork Cutlets (with Gravy) and “Red Beet Juice Pickled Egg”:







The rest of the Crab Cake Cuts to go with near future meals:


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## SmokinAl (Feb 11, 2016)

Looks real good Bear! I love crab cakes! Your pork & eggs look great too!  Nice plate. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





We have one that's mostly crab with, onion,garlic, butter, a little lemon & Ritz crackers.

Cast iron skillet on the grill.

Expensive, but good once in a while.

Al


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## gary s (Feb 11, 2016)

Looks great John, I do love Crab Cakes,  What !!  No Onions ??    I know,   Nice job   
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Gary


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## wimpy69 (Feb 11, 2016)

Great idea bear. Crab cake R&D at it's best. Like the addition of the Cheez its. Would make 
great hors d'oeuvres.


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## tropics (Feb 11, 2016)

John I would be all over that I do a fish dish with the Cheese Its Points

Richie


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## chef jimmyj (Feb 11, 2016)

Miracle Whip!?! This is Hellman's territory!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Looking good Sir...JJ


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## dirtsailor2003 (Feb 11, 2016)

Chef JimmyJ said:


> Miracle Whip!?! This is Hellman's territory!:rules:  Looking good Sir...JJ



Yeah that & Crab comes in cans????? Say it isn't so!


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## chef jimmyj (Feb 11, 2016)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Yeah that & Crab comes in cans????? Say it isn't so!


Yeah...You Westies got it made! Dungeness is some great eating...JJ


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## dirtsailor2003 (Feb 11, 2016)

Chef JimmyJ said:


> Yeah...You Westies got it made! Dungeness is some great eating...JJ



Have to take out a loan to buy any right now. Dungeness was $5.99/# a few weeks ago. Now it's $15.99/#. That's $45-50 per crab!


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## krooz (Feb 11, 2016)

Darn good looking eats right there. I always like your "how to do's" Bear!


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## Bearcarver (Feb 11, 2016)

SmokinAl said:


> Looks real good Bear! I love crab cakes! Your pork & eggs look great too!  Nice plate.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank You Al !!

I very seldom buy this stuff, but it was on sale for $12.

Thanks for the points too.

Bear


dirtsailor2003 said:


> Yeah that & Crab comes in cans????? Say it isn't so!


Every area has it's Perks.

You can get fresh Crab, I can get fresh Deer every year.

Thanks for..............

Bear


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## crazymoon (Feb 11, 2016)

Bear, Great tutorial and awesome looking cakes !


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## gary s (Feb 11, 2016)

Sorry John , I said I was giving you a point, but forgot, I fixed that.  I wounder about me sometimes. ???     Anyway those looked great I wish I had a pan of those right now.

         BTW    it got to 80º today, middle of Feb.  Go figure ??

Gary


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## foamheart (Feb 12, 2016)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Yeah that & Crab comes in cans????? Say it isn't so!


My thought exactly.... Crabs in a can... what will they think of next?  And I was amazed with smoked oysters in a can.


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## foamheart (Feb 12, 2016)

Great idea Bear.... I have a hard time getting a crab cake to all hold together. its either to wet or two dry. This is a great idea.

We have blue crabs all the time, and they are not very expensive. Of course it is Valentines weekend. All of ours (from the store) come refrigerated, don't think I've ever seen a can.

Great idea for something different.


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## Bearcarver (Feb 12, 2016)

gary s said:


> Looks great John, I do love Crab Cakes,  What !!  No Onions ??    I know,   Nice job
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks Buddy!!

LOL---No Onions.

And Thanks for the Points.

Bear


wimpy69 said:


> Great idea bear. Crab cake R&D at it's best. Like the addition of the Cheez its. Would make
> great hors d'oeuvres.


Thank You Wimpy!!

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Feb 12, 2016)

tropics said:


> John I would be all over that I do a fish dish with the Cheese Its Points
> 
> Richie


Thank You Richie!!

And Thanks for the Points!!

Bear


Chef JimmyJ said:


> Miracle Whip!?! This is Hellman's territory!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks Jimmy!!

Sorry---We find Mayo too Bland.

Bear


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## b-one (Feb 12, 2016)

Looks great,I really like the pan idea!


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## mike5051 (Feb 12, 2016)

Bearcarver said:


> Thank You Richie!!
> 
> And Thanks for the Points!!
> 
> ...


Down here, Blue Plate is the only accepted mayo.  Good looking crab cakes Bear!

Mike


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## redheelerdog (Feb 12, 2016)

Amazing Bear, I have to try these. Crab cakes are one of my favorite foods.

Awesome!


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## four20 (Feb 12, 2016)

Wow yall really need to try you some dukes... the king of spreads.I really dont care if my crabs come from a can, bag or basket, as long as they dont come from a bad night at the bar im happy.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Feb 12, 2016)

Bearcarver said:


> Thank You Al !!
> I very seldom buy this stuff, but it was on sale for $12.
> 
> Thanks for the points too.
> ...



Even fresh crab is hard now for us, at $15.99/pound, not on sale, that's $30-50 a crab. One thing I sure miss about living at the coast and working on the ocean, fresh "free" seafood. Don't miss the seasonal work and crappy weather. 

As for the deer, elk, etc. it sucks to hunt on the left coast. Limited tags for good hunts, 2-3 thousand tags for general season. Better chance of being shot than getting an animal. A bunch has changed in 30 years since I started hunting.


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## four20 (Feb 12, 2016)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Even fresh crab is hard now for us, at $15.99/pound, not on sale, that's $30-50 a crab. One thing I sure miss about living at the coast and working on the ocean, fresh "free" seafood. Don't miss the seasonal work and crappy weather.
> 
> As for the deer, elk, etc. it sucks to hunt on the left coast. Limited tags for good hunts, 2-3 thousand tags for general season. Better chance of being shot than getting an animal. A bunch has changed in 30 years since I started hunting.


Ride my way. I have 20 to 30 doe in my yard nightly that make my dogs bark. oops not for long. we have 2 invasive species introduced by game management to control the deer. feral hog and coyote.


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## Bearcarver (Feb 13, 2016)

Krooz said:


> Darn good looking eats right there. I always like your "how to do's" Bear!


Thank You!!

Glad you like them!!

And Thanks for the Points!

Bear


CrazyMoon said:


> Bear, Great tutorial and awesome looking cakes !


Thank You Sir!!

And Thanks for the Points!

Bear


gary s said:


> Sorry John , I said I was giving you a point, but forgot, I fixed that.  I wounder about me sometimes. ???     Anyway those looked great I wish I had a pan of those right now.
> 
> BTW    it got to 80º today, middle of Feb.  Go figure ??
> 
> Gary


Thank You Gary!!

Was 9° here yesterday---Up to 12° this morning.

And Thanks for the Points.

Bear


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## jerseyhunter (Feb 13, 2016)

Nice. I like the  recipe and the concept.


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## dls1 (Feb 13, 2016)

Nice job, and an interesting work around as an alternative method for making crab cakes that don't hold together when preparing or cooking.

As I see it, the primary reason that you, and others, have had problems with crab cakes in the past is that you're using claw meat. Unfortunately, most recipes for crab cakes simply call for "Crab Meat" without specifying the preferred grade. The primary grades, from highest to lowest both in quality and price are,

Lump (Colossal, Jumbo, Super, Mega, etc)

Backfin

Special

Claw

Lump will produce outstanding crab cakes that hold together well, but is better suited for something more special as the price can easily exceed 2X the price of claw meat. Backfin is a mix of broken pieces of lump mixed with some other white meat from the crab. Special is essentially all white meat. Claw has a bit darker coloring that is off putting to some, but is considered to be the most full flavored of all of the grades. Claw also has something of a shredded or stringy texture that makes it nearly impossible to bind well for cakes. It usually works best in dips, sauces, stuffing, soups/chowders/gumbo, and casseroles, which, for the most part, appears to be what you made.

I typically use backfin when making crab cakes, but I started experimenting some when I was given a half a dozen 1 lb. cans of claw meat a few years ago. One method I found that produced a better bind was to replace some of the dried bread crumbs, saltines, etc. with some fresh white bread, crusts removed, that was pulsed in a food processor. Another method that produced a pretty good result was to puree or emulsify a few scallops and/or shrimp and add that to the mix. The best result I got, however was on a whim when I prepared the mix, folded in the crab meat, then spread everything out in a thin layer on a sheet of wax paper, and sprinkled a very small amount of transglutaminase (aka meat glue) that I had hanging around on the mixture. After refrigerating the mix for an hour, I formed the cakes and they were perfect. They cooked up beautifully, also.

One other thing canned crab, especially with claw meat, is that there's no need to cook it  for an extended period of time to 165F, as that will promote drying and further separation. The meat has already been cooked, twice. At initial processing, the crabs are boiled or steamed at around 230F. When cooled, the crabs are picked with the meat separated by grade, then canned. The cans then go through a pasteurization process at around 185F. Simply put, you can just open the can and eat the meat as is without any concern. When I cook crab cakes, most of the time I simply fry them with some oil in a skillet at medium high heat for 3-4 minutes a side to brown and crisp the exterior and warm the interior.


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## Bearcarver (Feb 13, 2016)

Thanks Dis1---I Appreciate the Info.

However now that I made this batch in pan form, I'll be making them this way all the time.

It's easy, less mess, and ends up just as good, if not better than a bunch of little patties.

I don't make them with Real Crab Meat often, because of the price, but I might try the same thing with some cheap imitation Crab Meat too.

Thanks Again,

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Feb 14, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> Great idea Bear.... I have a hard time getting a crab cake to all hold together. its either to wet or two dry. This is a great idea.
> 
> We have blue crabs all the time, and they are not very expensive. Of course it is Valentines weekend. All of ours (from the store) come refrigerated, don't think I've ever seen a can.
> 
> Great idea for something different.


Thanks Foamy!!

This method is so easy, and as you know---I Love Easy!!!

All you do is mix it in a bowl, dump it in a pan, and level it out & smooth it with the back of a spoon.

And Thanks for the Points!

Bear


b-one said:


> Looks great,I really like the pan idea!


Thank You b-one!!

And Thanks for the Points!

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Feb 14, 2016)

mike5051 said:


> Down here, Blue Plate is the only accepted mayo.  Good looking crab cakes Bear!
> 
> Mike


Thank You Mike!!

Bear


redheelerdog said:


> Amazing Bear, I have to try these. Crab cakes are one of my favorite foods.
> 
> Awesome!


Thank You Red!!!

I'll be doing this again, next time they're on a big sale.

Meanwhile I'll probably try the same thing with "Imitation Crab".

I love things that are easy to do, and this was one of them.

Thanks for the Points!

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Feb 15, 2016)

Four20 said:


> Ride my way. I have 20 to 30 doe in my yard nightly that make my dogs bark. oops not for long. we have 2 invasive species introduced by game management to control the deer. feral hog and coyote.


Yup---We got Tons of Deer. No Feral Hogs, but a mess of Coyotes in just about every county.

Bear


jerseyhunter said:


> Nice. I like the  recipe and the concept.


Thank You!!

Bear


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## disco (Feb 16, 2016)

Wow! That looks like a tray of delicious! I bow to the master and offer Points!

Disco


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## Bearcarver (Feb 17, 2016)

Disco said:


> Wow! That looks like a tray of delicious! I bow to the master and offer Points!
> 
> Disco


Thank You Much, Disco!!

And Thanks for the Points!

Bear


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## dsauer22 (May 29, 2016)

Anyone ever try these in the smoker?  Thinking of trying it out at 250 until it reaches the 165 degrees????


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## Bearcarver (May 29, 2016)

dsauer22 said:


> Anyone ever try these in the smoker?  Thinking of trying it out at 250 until it reaches the 165 degrees????


IMHO---If you want to try to smoke this, it would be better to make it into individual serving cakes, instead of a big cake in a pan like I did here.

Reason being, Small Individual Cakes would get Smoke from All Sides, and my big Panned Crab Cake would only get smoke on the top surface, because all the other sides are within & covered by the pan.

Bear


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## dsauer22 (May 29, 2016)

Thanks......I ended up trying them in the smoker.  What could it hurt, right?  

Just used imitation crab since I already had it.   Made  individual cakes and then put them in a disposable foil pan that has ridges on the bottom.  Not a big Old Bay fan, so i replaced that with rub.  In the smoker at 350 for about 45 minutes.......turned out pretty good.  Would be better with real crab, but these were good for a short notice 'welfare crab cake'.


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## idahopz (May 30, 2016)

That's a great idea, Bear!         
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I did something similar with Oysters Rockefeller - instead of individual spoonful servings, just did all the same ingredients in a casserole pan.  Like you say, lots easier to do, quicker, and tastes just as good.


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## Bearcarver (May 30, 2016)

dsauer22 said:


> Thanks......I ended up trying them in the smoker.  What could it hurt, right?
> 
> Just used imitation crab since I already had it.   Made  individual cakes and then put them in a disposable foil pan that has ridges on the bottom.  Not a big Old Bay fan, so i replaced that with rub.  In the smoker at 350 for about 45 minutes.......turned out pretty good.  Would be better with real crab, but these were good for a short notice 'welfare crab cake'.


That's Great !!

Thanks for getting back with your report !!

I might try that one of these days too, but I might use 225° or 250° for a longer time to give them more smoke time.

And I'll probably use Imitation Crab too, like I usually do.

Thanks again for the test-work!!

Bear


IdahoPZ said:


> That's a great idea, Bear!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank You!!

Those are My Favorites ---- "Quick", "Easy", and "Tastes Great". 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





And Thanks for the Points!!

Bear


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## dsauer22 (May 30, 2016)

No problem.   I like to smoke at lower Temps usually,  but was afraid the cakes wouldn't get crispy enough.  Let us know how it goes at lower temp.


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