1 pound fresh crab meat
3 slices of white bread, crust removed
1 egg beaten
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 tablespoon parsley
Make breadcrumbs in food processor so they are chopped up fine. In a large bowl, mix together egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, and Old Bay seasoning. Add breadcrumbs and crab meat and mix by hand to avoid breaking up too many of the lumps. You may need to break up the very large lumps however so the crab balls will stay together. Shape into 24 balls and fry in batches in hot oil until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Serve with your favorite sauce or don’t use any! These are so good!
Note: Dried bread crumbs. We found that 1 slice of dried bread yields ¼ cup of fine dry bread crumbs. To reach the 1 cup mark we needed 4 slices of bread. Fresh bread crumbs. You can make ⅓ cup of bread crumbs from 1 slice of fresh bread. It takes 3 slices of bread to make 1 cup of fresh bread crumbs.
Homemade Old Bay Seasoning (copycat)
3/4 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon celery seed
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground ginger
5 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground mace
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
Place all of the ingredients in a coffee or spice grinder or small blender and grind until it’s a smooth powder. Transfer the spice blend to an airtight jar and store in a dark, cool place.
For optimal flavor use within 3 months.
Makes about 1/4 cup.