Frank Hawkins does not make bad crab cakes. The Baltimore native and chef-owner of charming little True in Boca Raton (147 S.E. First Ave., 561/417-5100) draws his own culinary experience and the region’s decades of accumulated expertise in the cooking and serving of its iconic crustacean to turn out crab cakes as deliciously crabby as their consumers are happy to inhale them.
In Hawkins’ hands, sweet-tasting blue crabmeat and a few simple ingredients come together to create a nugget of seafaring goodness whose whole really is greater than the sum of its parts.
Maryland-Style Crabcakes
2 pounds blue crabmeat
2 pieces white bread, torn into small pieces
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon each, minced red pepper and chopped parsley
Paprika and butter for topping
Preparation: Combine all ingredients except blue crabmeat, bread, red pepper and parsley and mix well. In separate bowl, blend crabmeat, bread, red pepper and parsley, then add just enough mayonnaise mixture to bind, approximately three-quarters of a cup. Mix gently, form into patties, dust with paprika and refrigerate until ready to cook.
To cook: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place crab cakes on nonstick baking sheet and top with small piece of butter. Bake for approximately 12 minutes and serve with tartar sauce, cocktail sauce or mustard sauce.
