Joe’s Stone Crab is a restaurant that opened in 1913 in Miami Beach.  No visit to Miami is complete without a stop here, and we are lucky enough in Chicago to have Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab restaurant as well.  This place is constantly packed shoulder to shoulder, and one taste of their food will tell you why.

I often leave a restaurant wanting to recreate something I’ve had.  Joe’s is one of those places that is kind enough to post recipes on their website.

Since I’ve been asked by several readers for a good crab cake recipe, I tried this one out and definitely give it an A+!  It’s a keeper.  And make the mustard sauce to go with it.  They serve it with their stone crab claws, and I adore it.  However, I admit that the recipe for the sauce is from another website as a “copycat” version, since they do not publish one on their site.  I actually blogged it here when I served stone crabs (oh that was a good day!).

Yes, I fried these babies in oil (I’m pregnant, what do you expect?), but I bet you could cook them in some cooking spray as well and they’d still be amazing.

Joe’s Stone Crab – Crab Cakes

courtesy of www.joesstonecrab.com
serves 4 (makes 8 crab cakes)

1 lb jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 scallions, trimmed and chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tbsp tabasco sauce
3/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more if needed
Lime or lemon wedges, for garnish

In a large mixing bowl, combine the crabmeat, red pepper, onion, scallions, parsley, and garlic. In a small bowl, stir together the egg, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and Tabasco. Gently fold this mixture into the crabmeat mixture; then add 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs, mixing with a light touch just until combined.

Form 8 patties, using 1/2 cup of the crabmeat mixture for each. The patties should be made in ovals about 1/2-inch thick and 3 1/2-inches long. Coat the patties with the remaining bread crumbs and place them on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour.

Heat the oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. Add 4 of the crab cakes at a time. Cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Adjust the heat as you cook so that the fat maintains a steady, gentle sizzle. Gently flip the crab cakes with a spatula and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with lime or lemon wedges, with a small cup of salsa on the side, if you like.

~M