If you head into the Suffolk seaside town of Felixstowe, ignoring the signs for the town centre and docks and turning left instead, you will eventually find yourself (after driving, no pun intended, through the middle of a golf course) at Felixstowe Ferry.
There is, unsurprisingly, a ferry there, a foot ferry across the tidal mouth of the River Deben to and from the Bawdsey peninsula, famous for the World War Two research station where radar was first developed and tested.
There's a pub, a few houses, a cafe, a Martello tower in the distance ... and a wet fish shop with its own smokehouse, Springtide Fish. When I visited the other day the lady behind the counter was busy dressing crabs and I couldn't resist.
I've never seen the sense of only using white crab meat in dishes ... it's the brown meat that has most of the flavour. These patties contain both. Don't even think about making them with tinned crab, they will be anaemic and tasteless. Get thee hence to the seaside!
Crab Cakes (serves 2)
Ingredients:
1 good-sized dressed brown crab, picked over for any remaining bits of shell
4 tbsp fine white breadcrumbs
1 fat spring onion (or two normal-sized ones), finely chopped
1 medium-hot chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
Small thumb of ginger, peeled and grated
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
Zest of a lime or lemon
Oil for frying
Herbs to garnish
Lemon or lime wedges to squeeze over
Method:
Place the first seven ingredients in a bowl and mash together with a fork. Form into six small patties, cover and refrigerate for at least half an hour for the flavours to blend and the mixture to firm.
Pour a couple of tablespoons of oil into a frying pan on a medium heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the patties until golden brown on the first side. Don't be tempted to move them until they have formed a crust or they'll fall apart. Carefully turn them over and cook the other side.
Serve at once, scattered with a few herbs and with lemon or lime wedges to squeeze over. Try them with crusty bread and a good salad.