by Tom Chillemi –
They catch them, cook, pick the meat, freeze and make some of the most tasty crab dishes.
Both Phyllis and Bobby grew up on the water in Mathews. When they married they built their home on Queen’s Creek.
They’ve crabbed all their lives. They harvest the bounty from start to finish — setting gill nets to catch bait fish that are used in their crab pots. For bait, they prefer “bunkers,” also known as menhaden.
They have a holding tank for the excess crabs to give them time to process them.
She learned cooking from her mother and has refined the art of cooking in her decades as a homemaker. They’ve passed on their recipes to four children and 10 grandchildren.
And they were happy to share two crab cake recipes with Rivah readers. Here’s how they do it.
Crab cakes by Phyllis Hudgins
Ingredients needed include:
- One pound crab meat
- Two slices of bread
- One egg, beaten
- One tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
- One tbsp. mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper to taste
- One tsp. prepared mustard
- Half tsp. paprika
Remove crust from bread. Break into small pieces. Mix bread and egg together well. Add remaining ingredients. Form into cakes fry in olive oil until golden brown. Makes seven to eight large cakes.
Crab cakes by Bobby Hudgins
Ingredients needed include:
- One pound crab meat
- Two eight-ounce packages of cream cheese (room temperature)
- One medium green pepper chopped fine
- One medium onion chopped fine
- One tsp. salt
- Half tsp. Black pepper
- Old Bay Seasoning as you like it, sprinkled on top
- Optional — A few drops Texas Pete Hot Sauce
Bake at 350 degrees, turning halfway though cooking.
Preparing crab meat is key to a good dish
Phyllis Hudgins explains that crab recipes are best when made with fresh crab meat. “But, we mix fresh and frozen and you can’t tell the difference,” she said.
Freeze crab meat at 0 degrees and it is best to make sure your crab meat is cold before it’s packed into freezer bags.
Crab meat has to be moisture free. “I don’t have good luck defrosting in the refrigerator.” When ready to use, thaw almost completely. Then, stick holes in the plastic bag with a fork in several places and squeeze all the water from the meat. Rehydrate the crab meat with lemon juice. If you use butter, onion and wine; heat until the alcohol dissipates, and the texture of the meat will be soft and wonderful.
Another way to rehydrate it is with any milk product, like cream cheese, mayo or Miracle Whip. “We have good luck with ours. We sure hope you do too and that this helps. Enjoy!” Phyllis Hudgins said.
