Crab cakes are somewhat of a summer delicacy. If you’ve wondered how to cook crab cakes, look no further. This recipe results in a rich crab flavor, crisped to golden brown. Then, you get to make homemade tartar sauce (al la Cuso).

Suggested smoking wood: Maple, cherry

Tips for Success

1. Taste as you go, so you can adjust the spices to your liking. Plus, you don’t want to over season that yummy crab flavor. 
2. Take care not to make your cakes over wet or over dry. You won’t be happy with either. An easy solution with the wet batter is gradually adding panko or breadcrumbs until it holds together. If they batter is too dry, gradually add more mayo.

Ingredients for Cakes

• 3 bundles snow crab legs, shelled and gently chopped
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• ½ lemon juiced
• ½ cup green onion, minced
• ¼ cup jalapeno, minced
• 1 tbsp paprika
• ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp sriracha (more to taste)
• 2 tbsp Cuso’s Gravel Seasoning
• 2 tbsp Cuso’s Roasted Garlic Onion Seasoning
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp butter

Instructions for Cakes

1. Set your smoker to 240F
2. Smoke the crab (in shell) for 30 minutes
3. Cool
4. Remove the crab meat and chop gently
5. In a bowl mix all the other seasonings
6. Make sure they’re well incorporated
7. Add the egg
8. Mix again
9. Fold in the crab
10. Give is a good stir
11. Take a heaping tsp from the batter and turn it upside down. If it doesn’t drip, you’re ready to shape and fry
12. Let a skillet good and hot
13. Melt the butter
14. Fry the cakes in small batches so you can easily turn them
15. Let each side get golden brown
16. Serve with tartar dipping sauce

Ingredients for Sauce

• 2 healthy tbsp mayonaise 
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Cuso’s Hot Honey Seasoning
• 1 tbsp Cuso’s Spicy Garlic Buffalo Seasoning
• ½ lemon squeezed
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• ½ cup green onion chopped

Instructions for Sauce

In the scheme of "how to cook crab cakes," The sauce is the easiest part! Mix all the ingredients together for the tartar. Add more of whatever seems lacking. Put it into dipping bowls

PitMaster’s Memo

History indicates that crab cakes came out of the Chesapeake region of the US in the 19th century. The hard part was outsmarting the crabs! The first time the term “crab cake” appeared was in 1930, The New York World’s Fair Cookbook penned by Crosby Gaige. While this publication reveals crab cakes, they’d been made in the Southern States years before that.

Sides

Asian Style ramen slaw

Cranberry quinoa salad

Red pepper soup

Watermelon feta salad

White Gazpacho

Deserts

Berry Pavlova

Lemon mousse

Mascarpone cake with almond

Pineapple upside-down cake

Salted caramel cupcake

From the Bar

Gin

Hefeweizen

Moscow Mule

Sauvignon Blanc

Sparkling lemonade with ginger