Crabby Cakes
Canned crab, poultry stuffing mix, and a hot pan. A dinner that eats like the coast on a paddle trip.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 84
- protein
- 22 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 12 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 20 min
- water
- 60 ml cold
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Canoe / raft
- Basecamp
- Backpacking
- Dairy free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Pouched crab meat | two 3 oz pouches | a small can works, but drain it well |
|---|---|---|
| Boxed stuffing mix for poultry | 1/2 box | about 1 cup dry, seasoning included |
| Dried chives | 1/2 tsp | |
| Single-serving mayonnaise packets | 3 to 4 | |
| Sweet relish packet | 1 | |
| Cooking oil | 1 tbsp | or powdered shortening |
| Water | 4 tbsp |
Method
- Dump the stuffing mix, chives, crab, mayo, and relish into your pot. Stir until the crab breaks up.
- Add 4 tablespoons of cold water. Stir, then walk away for 10 minutes. The crumbs need that time to soften or the cakes fall apart.
- Press the mixture into four small patties, thin enough to cook through.
- Heat the oil in a pan over a low flame. Lay in the cakes and leave them alone for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Flip once. Another 3 to 4 minutes until both sides are brown. Turning them early is how they break.
Crab is one of the few proteins that stays convincing out of a pouch, and boxed stuffing already contains the two things a crab cake needs: dried bread crumb and poultry seasoning. That removes the flour, egg, and breadcrumb work entirely. The mayonnaise packets are the binder, which is why they matter more than they look. Shelf-stable mayo in single servings survives heat far better than a squeeze bottle you opened last week.
The ten-minute rest is the whole recipe. Dry stuffing crumb needs time to pull in that small amount of water; skip it and the patties crumble the second you flip them. Keep the flame low and the cakes thin. This runs heavier per calorie than dehydrated food, so it belongs on a paddle trip or a first night out of the car rather than day nine of a thru-hike.
Packing
Stuffing mix and chives go in a quart freezer bag. Mayo and relish packets go in a small bag tucked inside it, with the crab pouches. Oil rides with the rest of your trip oil.
Variations
- Swap the crab for a pouch of tuna or salmon. Same weight, less money.
- A pinch of Old Bay in the dry bag makes up for a bland stuffing mix.
- No pan, only a pot? Skip the shaping and eat it as hot dressing straight from the pot.
https://backpackerrecipes.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/cooking-crab-cakes-on-the-trail