Foodie Friday: Bramble and Brine at the Buttery

LEWES, Del. – Bramble and Brine at the Buttery is a unique and vibrant eatery. Its décor: whimsical. And, its food, something special, with a reminder of home.

Secrets to a Perfect Crab Cake

Chef Megan Kee says achieving the perfect crab cake starts with Maryland lump crab meat; because what’s a crab cake without Maryland crab? “Everyone has a family crab cake recipe. This one was passed down through a few generations, to myself, from my grandmother from Baltimore,” said Chef Kee on the Foodie Friday team’s visit.

Duke mayo, Dijon, Worcestershire, Old Bay, and lemon juice. And then, comes secret number one of elevating a crab cake.

“I have what’s called the Holy Trinity of spices that, no matter what we’re cooking, it makes everything taste better. Seasoned rice vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder,” explained Chef Kee. “What I’m looking for is the umami. Umami is that sense that’s like, it just makes you want a little bit more. It draws you in, and that’s where the seasoned rice vinegar comes in.”

And secret number two, says Chef Kee, is all in the technique.

“When you do the fold really gently, and when you pay attention to where the cracker bits go, they should melt into the meat. Then, you don’t even notice it’s there,” said Chef Kee. “It’s really important to do this as gently as possible, so you keep the meat together, and don’t let it fall apart. What’s the point in buying that beautiful Maryland crab meat if it’s all desiccated?”

Crabby Goodness

For Foodie Host Hannah Cechini, Chef Kee’s secrets all made sense, when they sat down to try a scrumptious crab cake sandwich.

“The chunks of crab meat have really held their integrity. They are big and bold and beautiful, and they’re all just kind of plainly there on the crab cake,” Hannah said. “The outside of it is just brown and crispy. The inside really just melts in your mouth. And, really, all you’re getting is the crab and the seasoning. And, I can see why Chef has decided to put the seasoned rice wine into the crab cake, because it really does add to that umami factor that’s going on. It’s also zingy in a way, because it’s got a really nice, bright lemony note from the lemon juice that’s also been added in there.”

“It’s almost cloud-like,” Hannah remarked. “It’s cheesy, it’s crabby. It really tastes like a crab cake that’s been pout into an omelette.”

“Reminds me of being a kid.”

And, if seafood isn’t your style, then the bananas foster french toast is sure to win you over. It starts with challah bread: a light, and wonderfully but subtly sweet traditional Jewish bread.

“This french toast reminds me of being a kid. It tastes like you classic, homemade french toast that your mom would make for you on the weekend. And the bananas foster on top of that is just so good. You can really taste that caramelization,” Hannah mused. “The inside is very soft, it’s very fluffy, and it holds up really well underneath the bananas foster, which is kind of a heavier aspect of this dish.”

“Just beautiful,”