Well, I finally had to do it. I had to add watermarks to my pictures. Why? Rampant theft and violations of clearly stated copyrights. It’s sad isn’t it? I’ve found people taking credit for my recipes from Tokyo to Russia and everywhere in between. The worst is finding my recipe AND the accompanying pictures being displayed under someone else’s name. Now, at first I shrugged it off as part of being an online presence, but then it started to really bother me. I mean, I work hard at creating these recipes and I work even harder on taking good pictures and then spending valuable time editing them. It’s only fair that my name is glued to them permanently. So now I am going to literally plaster my name all over them..although I’m still working on how it looks. What do you think? Personally, I’m not really a big fan of watermarks. Although sometimes they add an air of professionalism, mostly they can take away from an otherwsie beautiful food shot. I hope you won’t mind too much! As for the recipes, I will just have to continue scouring the internet for people stealing recipes without accreditation.
As for this recipe, I hope you love it! I am a huge seafood fan, as you may have noticed. I especially love when I can dip it. Prawn cocktails, popcorn shrimp, fish and chips, sushi, tuna steaks, etc. are all dippable! Sadly, the crab in this recipe is canned, but if you have access to fresh, I would take that any day. Although Dungeness crab (the main staple here) is available all year round, the peak is from May to October, and it’s not usually so budget friendly. In summer, when we can walk the harbour piers ourselves and buy the crab fresh off the back of a boat, then I will make these again. Always use what’s seasonal as it usually tastes a lot better than when it’s been harvested out of season. Canned is not comparable to fresh, but in a pinch (and in a recipe like this) it’s hard to tell the difference.
My husband complained that these weren’t “firm” enough for him. If that is an issue for you, reduce the mayo and increase the bread crumbs until you achieve a consistency more to your liking.
Crab & Shrimp Cakes with Lemon Aioli
120g Crab meat (preferably leg meat)
150g shrimp
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp thyme (dried or 1 tsp fresh)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 egg
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
3/4 cup bread crumbs (panko works great)
1. Mix all ingredients in small bowl.
2. To prepare: Heat sauté pan to med/high and add a small amount of butter (1/2 Tbsp). Form cakes and set in hot pan. Fry for 4-5 minutes fer side or until golden brown and cooked through.
3. Serve with Lemon Aioli (Recipe follows).
Lemon Aioli
1/2- 1/3 cup light mayonnaise
zest from half a lemon
juice from half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1. Mix all ingredients in small bowl and allow to sit in refrigerator for 30 minutes prior to serving.
I am always a sucker for a good crab cake. This looks fantastic! I love the shrimp addition./
Great idea to protect your hard work with a watermark!!
I actually think it makes the pictures look even more professional
This recipe looks yuuuummy!!
Joanna
I love crab cakes! But I am sure your seafood up there amazing and makes for some extra special crab cakes! I will give your recipe a try, I love the addition of the shrimp!
.-= Sonja @ ActiveFoodie´s last blog ..Oatmeal!!! =-.
How did you figure out that someone was stealing your photos? I would think that would be hard to discover, unless you just stumbled upon it. The watermark is nice, not too distracting. I might suggest moving it to a corner, but then I imagine someone might be able to crop it out and still steal your photo, so maybe it’s better in the center.
Anyway, great looking crab cakes! Yum!
.-= Alta (Tasty Eats At Home)´s last blog ..Lamb Moussaka =-.
Alta, I find them with Google alerts and also sometimes they link back to me but have taken my pictures without asking. I get notified when people link to me.
OMG, do these look good! Going to make these over the next few days. Thanks for sharing!
I am so sorry about you photo. It is really a shame what the world is coming to. The watermark is indeed not too distracting. If you move it to a corner, people will just try to edit it out.You have to protect your work.
What??? This is something we think is happening too but we’re not sure – really? Do you think a watermark is critical? UGH. Well, I LOVE this recipe and thank YOU for creating it!!! It looks delish!!
I do think it has become critical for me. I hate piracy and I did not want to eliminate right-clicking from my site, so this was my only solution. My husband says there is another way to avoid “hot linking” but it sounds rather complicated. I don’t mind the watermark, but I did have to sit and think about whether or not to do it for about 3 months.
Putting this one on my “must try soon” list!
.-= Scott K (Fight the Fat Foodie)´s last blog ..Red Beans and Rice with Andouille =-.
Wow. Prawns and crab together. How decadent. And delicious !
These look fabulous! I just ate but they’re making me hungry 🙂
sorry to hear about the theft 🙁 kudos for still providing us with amazing recipes! thanks! 🙂
.-= Brie´s last blog ..Sweet Potato Bread =-.
I think the watermark makes it look professional! 🙂 This dish makes me want to go right out and buy the ingredients right now. This would be a lovely holiday appetizer. Sorry about people stealing your pics, but maybe it is really like a compliment (just a mean one!)
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..Hummus, Stuffed Peppers and a TREE! =-.
That sucks – I despise plagiarism, it’s the worst. Sorry that’s happened. I love these crab cakes, bu the way! Being from Maryland, I can be a harsh judge of that sort of thing ; )
.-= Tasty Trix´s last blog ..Day 3: French Iowtes, or Peas Porridge with Onions =-.
Since we now have access to lovely huge prawns, do you think they would work in this recipe? Sorry you had to do it but since you take such great shots I’m glad you decided to do something to protect your hard work!
Absolutely mom! Maybe cut them up a bit first…they’ll probably be even better!
I have heard about crab and shrimp cakes but never had it. Just by looking at these wonderful pictures Im tempted to try. Im sure they taste as good as they look.
.-= Lady Mystery´s last blog ..Turkey Breast with Country-Style Gravy =-.
That really sucks. I too have a recipe blog and some of the recipes that are shared at my blog is from other persons. Its all about sharing and I believe that we must give credit to the people who work hard to create these wonderful recipes and share the pictures of them. I make mention of my main source of recipes in my about page and add some of the others on my link page, because as I said before credit must be given to other people for their efforts.
.-= Lady Mystery´s last blog ..Turkey Breast with Country-Style Gravy =-.
Sorry to hear you’ve had difficulty with others stealing your photos/content. I had to add watermarks/text to my photos, too. Made me so mad, but had to do it!
On a much nicer note, these crab and shrimp cakes look wonderful and the lemon aioli sounds absolutely perfect!
.-= Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction´s last blog ..Cozy Cauliflower Soup =-.
Like you I have been contemplating watermarking since a few months. However I have heard from foodie friends that even watermarking doesnt stop plagairism. In fact one foodie I subscribe to has 2 watermarks; one across the centre like you have and one at the bottom. But guess what, no use. It was stolen and displayed with both watermarks on it! So where does that leave us?
.-= Shirley´s last blog ..Spiced Fish Fry =-.
What a drag about needing to put a watermark in your photographs, though yours does look very professional.
The dish looks wonderful!
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That looks both expensive (where I live anyway) and delicisous at the same time. It would be a great breakfast item, I think.
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Hello,
There are so many wonderful recipes here, I am hoping and praying there is a Newsletter available for distribution.
I am so excited, thank you in advance…
Chanda
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