It’s that time of year! The holidays are around the corner and… it’s Dungeness Crab season in California! What better way to celebrate the love for my favorite seafood than to make “Favorite Maryland Crab Cake Recipe” with a pound of fresh crabmeat sent to me as a gift by the generous folks at Raeburn Winery? And to complement every savory bite was a sample bottle of Raeburn Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2019.
Raeburn Winery is located on Olivet Road, a lovely and serene country road in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. Originally built as an egg storage facility, the property was converted to a small production winery by well-known vintner Cecil DeLoach in 2000. In January 2005, the winery was purchased by Derek Benham, “wine and spirits innovator,” who joined the wine industry in sales with a Lodi based winery after graduating from college in the late 1970s. With additional experience as co-founder of Codera Wine Group, the Blackstone brand, Purple Wine Company and more, Derek created Raeburn in 2014. The egret crest on the label and the Olde English word “Raeburn” meaning “the river where one goes to drink,” pay homage to Derek’s mother, an active environmentalist.
Photo Credit: Raeburn Winery
The Russian River Valley is responsible for some of the best Chardonnay in California and the Raeburn Chardonnay 2019 ($19.99) is no exception. By all accounts, 2019 was a magnificent vintage year thanks to a mild winter (although record rainfall leading to vineyard flooding occurred). A cool spring was followed by a warm summer and a heat spike in the fall helped improve the ripeness of the grapes. Fortunately, grapes were harvested prior to the 2019 fires in Sonoma County.
Experienced winemaker Joe Tapparo crafted this exceptional wine, a delicious nod to classic California-style Chardonnay. He explained that “our Chardonnay is hand-picked at dawn from several Russian River Valley vineyards to maintain ideal brix levels. Once at the winery, we whole cluster press the fruit and gently rack into French and Hungarian oak barrels for fermentation. A quarter of the juice is held aside to ferment and age in stainless steel and the two lots are blended at the time of bottling.”
Pour the wine and make the Dungeness crab cakes, then relish in every magnificent taste of both. On the nose of the Raeburn Chardonnay, I found aromas of ripe pineapple, fresh and juicy peaches, stone fruit, nectarine peel and hyacinth blossoms. The balanced, round palate profile offered food friendly acidity and bright notes of tropical fruit, spice, herbs, wood chips and caramel. Elegant and poised, the rich and creamy mouthfeel complemented the flavors of the warm, succulent crab, herbs and spices gently formed, fried to perfection and served with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Favorite Maryland Crab Cake Recipe
- 1 lbs crabmeat
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- kosher salt to taste
- lemon wedges
-
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Combine the egg, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, and parsley in a large bowl and mix well.
Add the crab meat (be sure to check the meat for any hard and sharp cartilage) and breadcrumbs. Gently fold mixture together until just combined, being careful not to shred the crab meat.
Shape into 6 crab cakes (about 1/2 cup each) and place on prepared baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat a large nonstick pan to medium heat and coat with olive oil. When oil is hot, place crab cakes in pan and cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side. Be careful as oil may splatter.
Serve immediately with a squeeze of lemon, cocktail sauce or tartar sauce.
Cheers! ~ Cindy
For more Grape Experiences and a free infographic “4 Keys to a Stellar Wine Pick” click here.
