Remebering Summer.

Oh........It is true. Summer is gone for the year. How did that happen? Dunno. As with every year however it has come and gone. Now we look forward to hearty meals, warm comfort food and more time indoors. That is not bad however. Don't you just love coming home to the smell of a delicious beef stew that has been cooking for hours? Or warm meatball subs while you relax on Sunday afternoon with football games. Yes it is true winter has it's perks.

However before it is to late let's revisit just once more something that is great about summer. I grew up all over the east coast. I have lived in the heart of the south in North Carolina, more to follow on awesome barbecue, to New England.... wait for my clam chowder recipe. However my roots always go back to the mid-Atlantic. With that blue crabs and delicious Maryland Crab Cakes.

I have many fond memories of vacationing at my grandparents on the Delaware shore. Growing up in Baltimore it was the place to go. Some of my fondest memories were the times we would go crabbing off the docks of the Indian River Bay. My sister and I loved to tie up chicken thighs to a long string, throw it out and wait for that little tug that let us know a crab was on the other end. Carefully we would pull it in, nice and slow. Then one of us would grab the net and scoop up the crab. So much fun!

Eating them was even better. Not just for the delicious sweet flavor of the meat mingling with the salty Old Bay Seasoning, but the sheer joy of cracking them open, fishing out all the meat and creating a massive pile of shells It was truly a lot of fun for a young boy to rip apart the crab! I still love to sit down to a pile of crabs when I get a chance. However adult life is so different and my New England life does not afford as much opportunity to do so. Still if you know where and when to go you can find the blue crab all the way up here.

Tonight though I am going for a visit to my parents. They were just in Delaware. They now own the house my grandparents did. I try and get there as much as I can in the summer but as I said adult life is so different. My parents are retired so they have more time. While they were down there they picked up and brought back some lump Blue Crab meat. Tonight my mother is making her signature crab soup and the end all be all of Blue Crab heaven, the Maryland Crab Cake. I can't wait. The recipe for the cakes has been in our family for many generations. I probably should not reveal it, but why not! I know I am going to enjoy eating them tonight. I hope you get a chance to make them yourself. Anyway here is the recipe....

-1 to 2 pounds of back fin lump crab meat (Specialty stores may have it, or try online)
-mayonnaise
-old bay seasoning
-saltine crackers
-spicy brown mustard
-Worcestershire sauce
-salt & pepper

Now just to let you know and I will blog more about this later, I am not a cook who is into exact measurements. I think cooking is something that you feel your way, intuitively, through. It takes a little time to figure it all out, and some mistakes, but in the end not relying on exact measurements is the way for me. With that said here goes.

In a large bowl dump all the crab meat in. Pick through carefully with your hands to remove any left over hard pieces. It usually is pretty well cleaned but some bits are still there. After mix in a couple heaping spoonfuls of mayonnaise and a touch of the mustard. A generous dash or two of the Old Bay, a splash of the Worcestershire Sauce and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Add the crushed crackers a little at a time while mixing it all up with your hands. Keep adding crushed crackers and mixing until it all starts to pull together. Form cakes by hand using about the size of a tennis ball, maybe smaller. In a frying pan melt some butter, about 1/4 of a stick. When pan is nice and hot put cakes in and brown on both sides. About 3-4 minutes each side. Serve immediately with crackers and Worcestershire Sauce. A broccoli slaw salad with a light coating of blue cheese dressing is a nice side.

Hope you enjoy, Michael.