Congressional Crab Cakes – A Taste of Home

If you know me, you know that I grew up in McLean, Virgina, in the shadow of Washington, DC. We lived off the very first exit in Virginia, so we were always crossing the Potomac River to into Maryland and DC.

Growing up, my favorite food in the WHOLE world were crab cakes from Congressional Country Club.

I would often meet my dad for lunch after he’d finished playing golf and I would ALWAYS order the crab cakes with salad bar and coleslaw. I have such fond memories of sitting with my family along the windows in the grill room and digging into crab cakes as big as my fist.

I was spoiled rotten and didn’t even know it.

After I moved to Georgia in 2004, I couldn’t find a decent crab cake – much less an exceptional one. The crab cakes down here had too much filler and were often pan-fried (or even deep fried – THE HORROR) so you couldn’t taste the crab.

My lack of access to decent crab cakes inspired me to start experimenting with my own recipe to replicate the delicate, creamy, crabby goodness of a Congressional Crab Cake.

I’ve been perfecting this recipe over the past 15 years and I think it is nearly perfect. I’d love to hear what you would add, change, or tweak – especially since I haven’t had a Congressional Crab Cake in over 10 years!!!

Congressional Crab Cakes

• 1 large egg, beaten

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 2 tablespoons grainy mustard

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

• 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat, picked over

• 15 saltine crackers

• 1 tablespoon of parsley

• 1/4 cup canola oil

• Lemon wedges, for serving

• Large water crackers, for serving

• Cocktail Sauce, for serving

Instructions

Set the oven to Lo Broil.

In a small bowl, beat the egg. Add mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and lemon juice, whisk until smooth.

In a food processor, process the saltine crackers and parsley until they are finely crushed.

In a medium bowl, lightly toss the crabmeat with the cracker-parsley combo. Gently fold in the mayonnaise mixture. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. <Or, you can cover + refrigerate overnight.>

Scoop the crab mixture into four 2/3-cup mounds; lightly pack into domed half circles, about 2 – 2 1/2 inches thick. In a large skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the crab cakes and cook the flat bottom over moderately high heat until deeply golden and heated through, about 3 minutes.

Then, brush the domed top of the crab cakes with melted butter and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.

Broil the crab cakes for 3-5 minutes (watching closely) until the top is golden brown.

Serve on an oversized water cracker with cocktail sauce, lemon wedge, and coleslaw.