One of the many directions we explored with crab cakes was the royale. The idea blossomed from wanting to lighten up the crab cake and the fact that I was surrounded by quiche. We took the idea of a classic crab cake: Dukes mayonnaise, Ritz cracker crumbs, and mustard, added eggs and heavy cream, and then pureed the base. We folded in lump crab meat, dill, and bacon and then steamed the cakes in flexipans for 30 minutes at 82.5 C in the CVap.
When the cakes were set, we chilled and froze them in an Irinox blast chiller. When they were rock-solid, we breaded them with smoked Ritz Cracker crumbs. The breaded cakes could thaw slowly, in refrigeration, before finishing them à la minute.
Finally we deep fried the cakes to develop a uniform crust and then finished heating them through in a 350°F/ 176°C oven. The finished crab cakes had a crisp, rich crust. The inside was silken and tender, bursting with crab flavor. A lighter and more intense version of the original was born.
Years Past
