Easy Crab Cakes and Homemade Mayo: A Personal Cooking Experiment

What was the last thing you searched for online? Why were you looking for it?

I typically fill my search history with manga or whatever random fancy crosses my mind. Still, today, I became a woman with a mission to make homemade crab cakes and mayonnaise.

While waiting for my bus, I wanted to see what my grandmother was up to. Everyone else was at work. We chatted like a couple of chipmunks for half an hour. Then I brought up the canned crab meat in my fridge. I asked which recipes would fit an 8-ounce can of crab. My Nana dearest, being the ever-living book of beautiful recipes she is, informed me that crab cakes were easy. She also said it was quick to make. Before she relayed what was in a crab cake, I said goodbye. Within seconds, I pestered Google for the best crab patty recipe on the web. Finally, I found Jenn Segal’s Maryland Crab Cakes with Quick Tartar Sauce blog. After skimming the ingredients, I decided her recipe would work!

I dug out every item related to the crab patties from the cabinets, and found every ingredient known to crab cakes kind except one: mayonnaise for tartar sauce. (For this recipe Miracle Whip would not cut it).

Realizing I was missing an ingredient, I was faced with a dilemma. But then it hit me- I could make my mayonnaise! It was a stroke of genius, and I was ready to put it to the test.

When I arrived home early this morning, I made some delicious crab in cake form. I carefully mixed the crab meat with the other ingredients, formed them into patties, and fried them to a golden brown. The aroma that filled my kitchen was irresistible. Every nerve in my body screamed. I was too tired to make mayo, but my taste buds insisted I finish what I started. With a sigh and one final push, I called on Siri to find the best mayonnaise recipe. When she asked, “I’m sorry I didn’t catch that?” for the third time, I knew it was time to switch to manual mode.

I found Adam and Joanne’s Fail-Proof Homemade Mayonnaise. Once finished, I expected Mom to loom around the corner, circles under her eyes, throwing her favorite Momma Bear slippers. (I will not use a blender at 2:30 a.m. again). I plated everything, and you know what? Tartar sauce was not needed.

What recipes do you look up? Do you have any tips for making your favorite food, such as crab cakes? I’d love to hear from you!