Crab Cakes by Middleton Tavern
By Stephanie Avent
Photos by Larry French
2 Market Space
Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 263-3323
www.middletontavern.com
Middleton Tavern, one of the oldest continuously operating taverns in the country, is located in an 18th-century Georgian building in the heart of downtown Annapolis. The restaurant’s signature crab cakes are an Annapolitan staple, part of our local tradition. We recently had the pleasure of spending some time with Chef Jimmy Gross, who just celebrated his 60th anniversary of working at Middleton Tavern. Fortunately, he let us in on a few of his trade secrets.
What’s Up? Magazine: How did your culinary career begin?
Chef Gross: I began at Carvel Hall on Prince George Street, where the Paca Garden is now. I was 19 years old when I started there, and was there for about two years, from 1939 to 1941. I washed dishes and moved on to help in the kitchen there.
When did you begin cooking?
When I went in the Navy in 1941, I went in as a steward, and took my training in Virginia. Then I went aboard a ship, the USS Dempsey. It was a small ship, about 600 people, but I only cooked for the officers, about 28 of them.
Who taught you?
I taught myself how to cook. You think about a dish and you try it and then you give it a name.
How did you come to work at this restaurant?
Manderis [the name of Middleton’s up until 1968, when the owner changed] had an advertisement for a cook, and I’d been out of the Navy for a year, so I came down and applied for the job. I started working the next day. I started here in 1948. We celebrated my 60th anniversary of being here this October.
What do you like most about your job?
It has to be the people—the whole staff is like family.
What makes this dish special to you?
The popularity—people love them. We have an idea of how many customers we’re going to serve, and then we prepare that much. We sell lots of them. On weekends we make about 30 pounds at a time for each batch. Sometimes on Saturday we make a batch in the morning, and then we have to make another batch in the evening.
Are there any special cooking techniques used for this dish?
The secret is to fold the crab cake mixture to protect the lumps.
Is this recipe a traditional recipe, or have you modified it?
It’s a traditional recipe, and it’s great to have mastered it.
How difficult is it to prepare this dish at home?
These are not difficult to make at home. After the ingredients are combined, they can be cooked as you’d like them—either broiled or fried.
Is there a particular wine that goes well with this dish?
A rich, buttery chardonnay.
Middleton Crab Cake
Ingredients:
1 pound lump crabmeat
1/4 cup crushed crackers
1 egg
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Old Bay seafood seasoning
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2½ teaspoon parsley flakes
-
Mix the egg, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, and seafood seasoning together. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix the crackers, the lump crabmeat, and the parsley.
- Add the wet mixture to the bowl, folding the ingredients together gently to protect the lump crabmeat.
- Use a large scoop to create crab cake balls.
- Broil or fry in hot oil until golden brown.
stephanie avent
nov 08
lawrence french
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