My Mother was the crab cake connoisseur of Manassas VA and maybe even all over Northern Va and parts of Beckley West Va. She could not resist ordering the crab cake if it was on the menu and usually by ordering that dish, she would decide whether a restaurant was worth going back to. It made perfect sense for her to try the crab cake at a seafood restaurant or somewhere near the beach. It made sense to even try the crab cake at a place that was just known for making pretty good food but my Mother would try the crab cake anywhere. Anywhere once even meant a Shoney's in Beckley West Va. Now you are going to expect me to write some funny story about how it was a terrible crab cake and how she made some hilarious scene but no, oh no my friends, that is not what happened that night at the little Shoney's in the Kroger shopping center just outside of Oak Hill. My Mother LOVED that crab cake! She loved it so much that she went on and on and on about it for the entire meal and then couldn't stop mentioning how very good that crab cake was for weeks and years to come! Up until my sweet Mother passed away, this crab cake would come up every once in a while and my sister and I would die laughing as my Mother, very seriously, made sure we remembered how amazing that meal was. Through the years my Mom found her favorite places to get a crab cake and every single time we would mention one of those restaurants as a meal option, she would make sure we knew; "Oh they have a great crab cake! Lots of meat, very little breading.". She found that she loved the crab cakes at Sweet Water Tavern and Ruby Tuesdays. *So now you know that those two places are Connie Swanigan approved.* Every time we would go there she would waste away, starring at the menu, trying to decide on something besides the crab cake and almost every time she strayed she would sit there picking at her food, kind of pouting, and would eventually, quietly say; "well I should've gotten the crab cake...."
If you knew my Mom, you would know that she didn't handle disappointment very well (and I am exactly the same way). She would get her hopes up about something and when it didn't work out, it would truly hurt her partly because she was disappointed but also because she didn't want to cause any trouble or make anyone else feel bad. Whenever my Mom strayed from her regular menu item somewhere, she was almost always disappointed and it was painful to see. My Mom was so excited though when she stuck to what she knew and that meant always ordering the crab cake at Sweet Water, Ruby Tuesday's, and especially the Shoney's in Beckley West Va.
In honor of my Mom's love for crab..I am going to share my recipe for Hot Crab Dip (which my Mom also loved and in particular she loved the crab dip from Costco..Connie Approved!).
Hot Crab Dip
3 cans of Bumble Bee Fancy White Crab Meat
2 cans of Bumble Bee Fancy Lump Crab Meat
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterrey jack, Gouda, anything that melts well and that you like alot)
1 cup Mayo
1 package of cream cheese (softened)
6 pieces of crumbled bacon
1/3 cup minced onion
3 garlic cloves minced
3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice
1/4 cup green onion minced
1 T old bay
1/2 T hot sauce
1/2 T dry mustard
1 cup of frenches fried onion
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Drain and sort through crab meat looking for shells. I have rarely ever found any shell over the years in the bumble bee cans.
Mix together all ingredients in a casserole except for 1/2 cup of the fried onions, Parmesan cheese, and save two slices of bacon and some of the shredded cheese. Bake the dip on 350 for 40 mins.
After 40 Mins take out the dip and top it with remaining cheese, fried onions, crumbled bacon, and Parmesan. Cook for 5-10 more mins until cheese is melted on top. Enjoy with crackers or some nice slices of french bread. Be careful because the dip will be extremely hot when it comes out.
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