The Nantucket Restaurants Cookbook is exactly that, a collection of menus from a whole host of restaurants on Nantucket Island. And for such a small island, Nantucket has a lot to offer the hungry gourmet. Samara Farber Mormar, a former chef, is a Nantucket resident and loves everything about the island. Her coauthor, Melissa Clark, is a cookbook writer and columnist for The New York Times. Together they interviewed the chefs and owners of 18 Nantucket restaurants and wrote a chapter on each.
To prepare the crab cake mixture, lay the shrimp out on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour so the shrimp are semifrozen and firm but not frozen solid
In a medium bowl, gently mix together the crab, scallions, parsley, lemon juice, mustard, white pepper, salt, Tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.
Place the semifrozen shrimp in a food processor and pulse a few times to finely chop. Do not overprocess into a paste. Add the egg and pulse to combine. With the motor running, gradually add the heavy cream, scraping the bowl down with a rubber spatula. Scrape the mousse into a large metal bowl halfway with ice water. Place the bowl with the crab mixture inside the ice bath, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
Form the crab mixture into 10 cakes. Place them on a tray lined with waxed paper and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
To cook the crab cakes, preheat the oven to 375 F. Heat 2 tbsp. of the clarified butter or oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a few of the crab cakes to the pan (do not crowd them) and cook for 30 to 60 seconds, until golden brown. Flip the cakes and fry for another 30 seconds. Transfer to a baking pan. Repeat with the remaining cakes, adding more butter or oil to the pan as you go. When the cakes are all browned, bake them for 5 to 7 minutes, or until just firm in the center.
