MARYLAND TACOMAS

I'll go out dressed as this

 

Who's ready for snow?

 

I am off from work this week. Bring it on!

 

Was in some yesterday.

Have been in almost two inches right before Thanksgiving.

I’m wicked stoked for snow wheeling.

 

Things are a little different in your corner of the state lol

I expect full panic mode around here come quitting time

 

SOUTH TEXAS. CRAZY!

 

I'm waiting for the snow to come and turn the airport into a shitshow, like it always does

 

I wanted to go out and get some crab cakes from edgewater...

But I’m wondering if people might be out breaking into a panic.

 

Mmmm! Where do you get your crab cakes in Edgewater?

 

WHAT, YOU'RE FROM MARYLAND AND DON'T MAKE YOUR OWN CRAB CAKES?! THAT'S A SIN!

 

Edgewater Restaurant has always been my favorite. Even over Faidley Seafood in Bmore, which happens to be #1 on many “best crabcakes” lists.

I’m sorry! Do lump crab/cheese omelettes in the mornings count for something? Some days, I’m hungry and lazy!

 

Ok, you get a pass. Now I want crab & cheese omelettes.

But if you want to make them yourself and are pressed for time and want the best, here's what I do.

I buy Jumbo Lump from 'Merica only, not from Venezuela, or Chiner or anywhere else. If I am lucky I get it from Costco for under 28 bucks a pound. The wife with her tiny fingers delicately picks through and removes the shells and any devils, which are non-existent from Costco crab meat. Then I use a half a cup of mayo, nothing but Hellmans, and Old Bay Crab Cake Classic - http://www.oldbay.com/products/old-bay-crab-cake-classic-mix it comes as a packet. Costs about a buck sixty nine at most stores. I would pick the crab meat but my fingers are like polish sausage sized so it destroys the lumps.

I have the picked through crabmeat in a large bowl, and I sprinkle a little bit of the Old Bay Crab Cake Seasoning on, about a quarter of the packet. Then I do that flip the contents of the bowl thing by quickly jerking the bowl back and forth, sorta how you flip flapjacks in a pan, then I sprinkle some more seasoning and do the flip thing some more. The idea is to incorporate all the seasoning into the crabmeat without using a spoon or other utensil which breaks up the lumps a little bit at a time. The whole process takes less than a minute. At this point, if you want, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and prep some other grub.

Or, if you already did that, once all the crab meat is coated with the seasoning I add the mayo a little at a time and do the same thing with the bowl flip thing, but ultimately you will have to use a large, thin flat spoon or something to incorporate the mayo. I use a silicone stirring spatula. Once it is all coated nicely I use the same spatula to sorta mold the mixture into 4 evenly sized balls right in the bowl. It's ok if they are not perfect. I never touch them with my hands though, that is key.

Then I prep my pan. Anolon non-stick is what I use. Can handle a 500 degree oven and a dishwasher and metal tools. Crazy expensive but works. I get the 12" skillet medium hot and since we used mayo as the binder, it also acts as a oil so nothing else goes into the pan but the cakes. This also helps to make the outsides crispy.

I use the same silicone spatula to gently slide the balls of goodness into the pan one at a time, and once in the pan I gently form them into a more desired round shape. I gently press down to give them some squat but not much. You'll notice I say gently a lot. That's because unlike most crab cakes, these were not squished into balls like you are making meat balls. These are delicate from start to finish and once you start eating them you will appreciate the extra care.

I let them cook untouched for about 4 - 6 minutes and then gently flip them. I have a super thin flexible omelette spatula for that. I let them cook for another 4 - 5 minutes and turn the heat off and move the pan off the burner and put a lid on the pan. This will make them fluffier and retain the moisture.

While they set up I tand to the other components of the meal, be it baked french fries, or cole slaw or a nice rib eye on the grill, whatever. This is my go to recipe and will refuse crab cakes out anywhere because of it. My wife will eat anyone's crab cake, and I have tried some and they are ok, but none are like mine. She likes mine best.

But I grew up in Baltimore city, Highlandtown, I was eating crabs and everything made with them before I could walk. My grandmother taught me how to make crab cakes the old fashioned way, using the bread without the crust, old bay seasoning, egg, milk, etc and if she were alive today I could convince her that the 20 or 30 minutes (20 to clean the crab meat, 10 for everything else) it takes to make these are the same taste if not better, and easier.

Try it one day, you won't look back. I have even finished them in the oven in the pan, after the first flip but I prefer them a little crispy on both sides rather than broiled.

And yea, I do like to cook. And to eat. At 285 lbs, it's hard to hide.

 

Bayside cross threaded one of my skid plate bolts. I found it because I started hearing rattles when I shut the door.

You guys buy your crabmeat? I refuse to buy crabs. If I want them I go trotline for them.

 

OK OK You got me there. My crabbing days are over. Well, I would still give it a whirl if the beer was cold enou....well, if there was beer.

Man, back in the day, when I was 30 year younger, we would go to Bonnie's Crabs down on Battle Grove Road next to the Northpoint Drive In and she would hand the bushels (not these boxes these days) to you right off the boat from her husbands catch that morning. A mixed size bushel of females would cost 10 bucks. Mixed males were 20.

Or we would all pile in the car and make our way to Kent Narrows and drop either nets, or those folding side metal traps off a pier with chicken necks and wings. That's back when the grocery store used to almost pay you to take it off their hands. LOL....guess we can't stay young forever.

 

I still run a trotline. I only got out crabbing once this year. But, in just under 3 hours we had a really nice bushel of males. Except for two every male we caught was a keeper and we caught no females.

 

Pain is my arse. Curious to see how they "fix" this. The skid plate needs to be removed for regular maintenance. 10k miles in they strip this bolt. Looks like I'll have to deal with it the rest of my ownership of it's not properly fixed.

 

I got out quite a few times this year. 8-10 or so? Did good enough to please the wives.