Photo by Keviikev

Get out the Old Bay and remoulade, because this year’s haul of blue crabs from the Chesapeake Bay is set to be the best in two decades, according to a joint press release from Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley.

After a four-year restocking program, Virginia and Maryland officials estimate there are now 764 million blue crabs living in the bay, more than any time since 1993, and a 66 percent increase over last year’s population of about 460 million.

The repopulation program was started after the number of crabs in the bay sunk to just 249 million in 2007, and caught the attention of O’Malley’s government and that of then-Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, both Democrats. McDonnell, a Republican, called the program a “bipartisan success story” in the press release.

With the population so robust now, both states are expecting a flush crab market later this year when the specimens mature and are ready to be fished. The Chesapeake Bay produced 67.3 million pounds in 2011.

Just why is the crab population in the waters off Maryland and Virginia so resurgent? Credit the warm winter, according to a study earlier this year by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The agency reported that in previous years, cold ocean temperatures produced large fish kills, including a mortality rate of as high as 30 percent in blue crabs. But with last winter’s aberrant warmth, NOAA forecasted this year’s Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey would show a much fuller population.

But what is to be done with all these crabs. More crab cakes, obviously, which McDonnell suggests pairing with a “nice Virginia white wine.” Sounds fine, though in Maryland we’ll take ours with a National Bohemian or perhaps a New Belgium Somersault Ale.

And perhaps we’ll use this recipe from Food.com and adapted from Faidley’s in Baltimore’s Lexington Market:

For crab cakes:
1 lb large lump crabmeat , picked over
1 cup crushed saltine
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 egg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 dash Tabasco sauce
vegetable oil (for frying) (optional)
clarified butter (optional) or olive oil , for sautéing (optional)

For tartar sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely chopped dill pickles
1/4 cup minced onion
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon pickle juice

Directions:
Crab cakes:

1. Spread the crab meat out in a flat pan and sprinkle the crushed saltines over the top.
2. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, egg, mustard, Worcestershire and tabasco.
3. Pour the mayonnaise over the crab meat and gently toss or fold the ingredients together, taking care not to break up the lumps of crab meat.
4. Let the mixture sit for two to three minutes before forming the cakes.
5. Form the cakes by hand or with an ice cream scoop into eight mounds about three inches in diameter and three-quarters of an inch thick.
6. Do not pack the mixture too firmly.
7. The cakes should be as loose as possible, yet still hold their shape.
8. Place the cakes on a tray or platter lined with wax paper, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before cooking.

Tartar sauce:

1. In a bowl, mix mayonnaise, dill pickles, onion, parsley and dill pickle juice.
2. Chill for at least one hour.
3. To fry: Pour oil into a heavy skillet to a depth of about one and a half inches.
4. Heat oil and fry crab cakes, a few at a time, until golden brown, about four minuteson each side.
5. Remove with a slotted utensil to a paper towel to drain.
6. To broil: Slip them under a preheated broiler until nicely browned, turning to cook evenly, about four to five minutes on each side To sauté: Heat a small amount of clarified butter or olive oil, or a combination, in a skillet and sauté the cakes, turning several times, until golden brown, about eight minutes total cooking time.
7. Serve at once with tartar sauce on the side.
8. Makes four servings.