Life's far too short for bad crab cakes!

I absolutely adore seafood, especially shellfish. Nothing is more frustrating than ordering a supposedly succulent crab cake and receiving a breadcrumb and red pepper based hockey puck. Determined to never make this mistake when preparing a crab cake myself, I have tested and tweaked several "trusted" recipes. And alas, the most delicious crab cake I have ever tasted....

Perfectly Crabby Cakes

When crab is the main star of any dish, it's vital to use the best possible product you can find. If you reside along the east coast, you are lucky enough to have fresh blue or stone crab at your fingers. If you, like myself,  are a Midwesterner, it is near impossible to find fresh whole crab at any monger. Under any circumstance, DO NOT use the canned crab in the tuna aisle! Please resist the urge to save a couple bucks and head straight for the seafood counter at a specialty store or market. You can find near fresh, refrigerated lump blue crab for under $19.99/ pound. This recipe calls for only half of that and serves four very lucky dinner guests.

You will need:

8 oz cooked lump crab meat, picked free of shells

1 egg white

5 Ritz crackers, crushed

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

1/2 of a medium sweet onion

1 medium stalk of celery

1 green onion, green and white parts, minced

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 of a lemon, juiced

1/2 tsp salt

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Dash of cayenne

Panko bread crumbs, for coating

Olive oil, for frying

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Finely chop your celery and onion. Brush up on your knife skills for this one! It's very important to make sure your vegetables are all the same size. This allows them to cook and soften at the same time. It also makes for a better finished product.

Now saute over medium heat with a tablespoon of olive oil.

There is something very comforting about the scent of celery and onions bathing together in olive oil on the stove top. Perhaps it reminds me of Thanksgiving dressing? 

Once the veggies are slightly soft, add the garlic powder, cayenne and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper, but keep in mind the saltiness already provided by the Worcestershire sauce.Cook for 2-3 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the crab, egg white, lemon juice and mayonnaise. Gently fold together as to not break apart the wonderful lumps of meat. Add in the Ritz crackers and the vegetable mixture. Gently stir once more and season with more salt and pepper if needed. If your mixture isn't very sightly, fret not! It's suppose to look like a  total goopy mess.

Heat your olive oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed pot, such as a dutch oven. When fried, these suckers like to splatter a bit. That said, the deeper the pot the better!

In the meantime, set your hideous crab mixture next to a bowl filled with the panko bread crumbs. Season the panko with salt and pepper. Spoon a golf ball size amount of the crab mixture into the panko and form into a patty with your hands. 

The mixture will make eight perfectly sized cakes.  Fry them in batches of four or less. It's very important not to have any of the patties touching each other in the pan. We want a deliciously crispy crust on the outside of our little beauties. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side. 

See what  I mean about the sizzling and splattering? 

Once the cakes are wonderful and golden on both sides, remove from the pot and drain on a paper towel. Squeeze fresh lemon over them the second they leave the oil.

Now it's entirely up to you how you want to serve them. 

I prefer over greens dressed with a honey dijon vinaigrette. This may seem a bit hoighty toighty for the gents, so I also like to pair them with a bit of crisp lettuce, a dollop of my honey dijon aoili and ....

Sweet Hawaiian rolls! Voila! A perfect little crab cake slider. 

For the honey dijon aoili, you need:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 lemon, juiced
1 Tbsp dijon mustard

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp fresh dill

salt and pepper to taste

Stir all the ingredients together until smooth and well combined. Set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or until ready to devour.

Who can resist? Not me, especially considering the nutrition facts of these perfect crabby cakes:

Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe; Calories: 201; Total Fat: 14g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 55mg; Sodium: 280mg; Total Carbohydrates: 5g; Dietary Fiber: 1g

Don't forget the cholesterol is naturally occurring. With only 2 grams of saturated, the majority of the fat is monounsaturated!