Recipe: Magnolia Restaurant's Carolina Crab Cakes with Tomato Gravy

CAROLINA CRAB CAKES

"At Magnolias, we serve the crab cakes with tomato gravy (recipe below), creamed corn and sauteed spinach. This makes a colorful and tasty combination. All crabmeat should be picked over to remove any possible remaining shell, but do it gently because you don't want to break up the lumps. Then place the crabmeat in a strainer and press down lightly to extract any extra liquid.

Panko, frequently referred to as Japanese bread crumbs, creates a very golden and crunchy breading when dipping and frying, and also works well as a binder. You may prefer to lightly dust the crab cakes in panko to give the cakes a crispy golden crust. The crumbs are very neutral in flavor and light in color."

1/2 cup minced red onions
1/3 cup minced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon minced tarragon
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 pound jumbo lump or lump crabmeat, gently picked over and drained of any liquid
3/4 cup panko
2 teaspoons salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 tablespoons light olive oil

Place onions, bell pepper, tarragon and mayonnaise in a mixing bowl and combine. Gently fold in the crabmeat. Add the panko and season with salt, white pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes. The panko will absorb some of the moisture and the mixture will stay together.

Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap on a clean counter surface. Place half of the crab mixture on it and use a spatula or a spoon to form it into a tube about 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Bring the wrap up over the crab and roll the crab mixture up. Twist the ends to close. Pierce any air pockets with a toothpick or skewer. Twist the ends even tighter to compress the crab mixture. Tuck under the ends of the wrap and place the tube on a plate. Repeat with the second half of the crab cake mixture. Place the tubes in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Note: If you don't want to go through the process of making the tubes, form the mixture into 8 equal size 3-ounce cakes by hand or with a scoop. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before cooking.

WHEN READY TO COOK:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

When ready to use, cut the tubes into 1 1/4-inch-thick cakes. Gently remove the plastic wrap, leaving the cakes in nice cylinders.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat until very hot, but not smoking. Gently place 4 of the crab cakes in the pan and sear for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown. Gently turn the cakes over and sear 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Place them on a baking sheet. Wipe the pan, add the remaining olive oil and repeat this process for the other 4 crab cakes.

TOMATO GRAVY
Makes 3 cups

"You can finely chop the tomatoes by hand, blend them with an electric blender or use a hand blender."

5 tablespoons butter, divided use
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/4 cup tomato juice
1 cup peeled, seeded and diced fresh tomato
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt
White pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter without browning it. Stir in flour and cook over very low heat for 3 minutes, stirring.

Add half the milk and stir vigorously until mixture becomes thick and smooth. Add rest of milk and tomato juice; stir until mixture thickens again.

Add tomato and bay leaf, and cook over low to medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. Skim off any foam and discard. Allow gravy to cook over very low heat for another 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Season with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf. Whisk in remaining butter. Adjust consistency of gravy with water if it gets too thick.

Makes 8 (3-ounce) cakes
Source: Magnolias: Authentic Southern Cuisine by Donald Barickman of Magnolias restaurant