Newburyport Crab Cake Co.

by Grace Brinton

Here on the east coast, crab cakes are most often associated with either the Maryland area or New England. Naturally, this is due to the region’s cuisine being heavily influenced by seafood. The exact history of the crab cake seems a little unclear, but a recipe for them did appear in the 1930’s in the New York World’s Fair Cookbook. Suffice it to say, crab cakes have become a huge part of what is known as quintessential New England cuisine.

A local company picking up on that cue is the Newburyport Crab Cake Company. They are slotted to be a vendor at this year’s Boston Local Food Festival and I’ll bet they’ll be serving some classic New England food.

When I started looking into this restaurant, I thought, this is “that place” that you go to if you’re looking for “that New England experience”- and who isn’t, right?

On their menu they have (among many other selections) two styles of crab cakes and, of course, lobster rolls!

Now, having grown up in Maine, I would say a summer in New England isn’t complete without some crab or lobster. Just thinking about it makes me crave the salty ocean air, a boardwalk, maybe some sand between my toes…..all those nostalgic things that stay with you forever if you grew up near the coast.

To celebrate this great New England business, I wanted to share a classic crab cake recipe. Because I personally have some dietary restrictions, I am working on some crab cakes without breadcrumbs (and I make my own mayonnaise). However, I can’t say my version is perfected yet, and since I don’t expect you to make all these substitutions, I decided to share the recipe I got my original inspiration from. It is by Preston Clark and was published in Food and Wine. If you’re interested in my version, I promise I’ll be publishing it soon! In the mean time, I hope you’ll pay a visit to the Newburyport Crab Cake Company and try out their version of this classic.

Crisp Crab Cakes with Chipotle Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

CRAB CAKES

1. 1/4 pound skinless cod or flounder fillet, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2. 5 scallions, thinly sliced
3. 3 jalapeños, seeded and minced
4. 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
5. 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
6. 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
7. 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
9. 1/2 cup mayonnaise
10. 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
11. 1 1/2 cups pankobread crumbs

CHIPOTLE MAYONNAISE

1. 3/4 cup mayonnaise
2. 1 chipotle chile in adobo, seeded and minced
3. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4. 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
5. 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
6. Salt and freshly ground pepper
7. Pure olive oil, for frying

Instructions:

1.  In a mini food processor, puree the fish. Transfer to a large bowl and add the scallions, jalapeños, lemon juice, parsley, cayenne, salt, pepper and mayonnaise and mix thoroughly. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the crabmeat. Form the mixture into 8 cakes. Coat the cakes with the panko and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2.  In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, chipotle, lemon juice, Old Bay and mustard and season with salt and black pepper. Cover and refrigerate.
3.  In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 inch of olive oil until shimmering. Add the crab cakes and cook over moderate heat until browned and heated through, about 3 minutes per side. Serve the crab cakes with the chipotle mayonnaise.

MAKE AHEAD

The chipotle mayonnaise can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

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