Captain Buddy’s Deviled Crab Cakes
courtesy of Buddy’s Seafood Restaurant in Charleston, North Carolina

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 cup finely chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 lbs fresh crabmeat, picked over for shells and flaked
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup crushed soda cracker (saltines)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• hot pepper sauce
• 3-4 tablespoons milk (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.
3. Add celery,green pepper and onion and cook, stirring constantly until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Do not let vegetables brown.
4. Add crabmeat,chopped egg,mayonnaise,cracker crumbs and parsley and toss lightly.
5. Season to taste with salt,pepper and hot sauce.
6. (If mixture seems too thick, stir in milk one tablespoon at a time.).
7. Butter scallop, blue crab shells or individual ramekins.
8. Fill evenly with crab mixture.
9. Bake until tops are golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes.
10. Serve immediately.

Additional Resources:
I Love Crab Cakes! 50 Recipes for an American Classic by Tom Douglas and Shelley Lance
The Crab Cake Guy’s Recipes
The Crab Lover’s Book: Recipes & More by Mary Ethelyn Orso
Crab Cake Guy’s recommended reading