Is frozen crabmeat OK to use for crab cakes?
I have some frozen precooked crab meat that I was going to use in a sauce for pasta but thought maybe crab cakes would be a nice change of pace.
Does the fact that it has been frozen make it unsuitable because of texture change?
Best Answer
Most crabmeat is pasteurized, so the texture has already suffered a bit. Crab cakes are basically a binder, crab meat, and seasoning. The binder can add all sorts of interesting textures. There are recipes with Panko, bread flour, flour, eggs, ... If you are worried about it being dry, add mayo as @Darin suggested or increase the oil a bit.
Look at the packaging, the crab meat may be already cooked, so you may get away with cooking it less.
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Can I use frozen crab meat for crab cakes?
Warming up: When ready to serve the crab cakes use cook over medium-high heat to warm up or use an oven to bake them on a baking sheet at 350*F for 12 to 15 minutes or until warmed through. If they are frozen, add a few extra minutes for frozen meat.Is frozen crab meat as good as fresh?
Of course, I must admit that there is nothing better than eating the fresh crabs immediately as freezing will always have a negative impact on the quality of the meat. Being frozen, crab meat may suffer from a huge loss of its flavor, while the texture may also deform, becoming soft and less appealing.Is frozen crab meat any good?
Properly stored, frozen crab meat will maintain best quality for about 6 months in the freezer, although it will usually remain safe to eat after that.What kind of crab meat is best for crab cakes?
For the absolute best crab cake (and crab dip!), I recommend using lump crab meat or a mix of lump crab meat and backfin meat. Lump crab meat guarantees those big mouthwatering bites of crab.More answers regarding is frozen crabmeat OK to use for crab cakes?
Answer 2
Agreed on the moisture issues. The thawing process will leave a lot of lost crab juice that would need to be replaced with some fat. Recomend thawing and then draining before mixing with binder and seasonings.
Answer 3
Previously frozen crabmeat is fine for crab cakes. Should the crabmeat have dried a bit from being frozen, the mayonnaise that is typically added will replace some of the lost moisture.
Answer 4
Freezing crab meat breaks the cell walls and causes the meat to be mushy, not firm. That is why you have so much water in the bottom of the container when you thaw it. It works fine for crab dip, where the texture is not critical, but I would not use it for crabcakes.
BTW: ALL crab meat you buy is precooked, I've never seen "raw" crabmeat. It is already steamed, then picked and put in a container. "Fresh" is just not pasteurized, so the shelf life is much shorter, but it is definitely cooked.
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