Best crabcake recipe ever!

This is where I grew up, a short bike ride away from a creek near the Chesapeake Bay.   

I did a lot of this during my childhood:

still in his tri-corner hat, 2007

I sat here and spent many hours during the summer.....

....and caught a lot of Chesapeake Bay hard crabs.  I would take them home in a bucket on the handlebars of my bike, steam and eat at will.  For free.

It still really kills me to have to pay for them, but when the craving hits, we cave.  Like we did with friends on the Fourth.  And the best part? We had leftovers for dinner last night!

So here's my no fail, best crabcake ever recipe.  Stick with me: you can do this:

Start with the real deal: fresh picked crabmeat. 

 I will admit to using the store-bought, canned or otherwise in a pinch.  It'll do.

Add a generous helping of Old Bay, the staple of seasonings in these parts.  (try it on french fries and other goodies too...yum)

 Add: a little bit of mayo and egg to bind.  A little more Old Bay to taste.  Drop by spoonfuls onto a hot skillet.

Brown and Turn:

A tad more Old Bay (you just can't get enough really....)

Take off, drain and eat.  I enjoy mine with a squeeze of fresh lemon.  But you really don't even need that! 

Remember that the crab is alreayd steamed and cooked....all you need to do it warm the cake up, brown and serve.  It only takes a few minutes.   I do have a few variations on this: a finely diced onion, a bit of creme (but then it becomes more of a crab imperial, but yummy over salty Virginia ham!); I've even been known to sneak in a bit of very finely diced green pepper if I have it.  But really, simple is best and all you need.

And please, please please: do not add breadcrumbs. And worse yet, please do not serve a stuffing cake with a seasoning of crabtaste and call it a crabcake. And if you're in a restaurant with me and I think of ordering the crabcakes, dont' be embarrassed when I ask a lot of questions before I do!  I've been burned by the stuffing lump passed off as a real crabcake before. Never again.

 This is the real deal. Simple, quick, whole and yummy goodness.  Enjoy!