Crabby-Crabby Crabcakes

By UpAllNite • September 24, 2012 • 0 Comments

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Author Notes: The trick to perfect crabcakes is two-fold: (1) don't use too much breading and (2) be gentle -- you don't want hockey pucks.

Oh, and use jumbo lump crabmeat. You'll be happy you did. Yum! - UpAllNite

Serves 4 for dinner, 12 for appetizers

1 pound lump crab meat, picked over carefully for shells
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise (I use Hellman's)
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
5-7 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
1/4+ cup dry breadcrumbs
1/2+ cup Olive oil
1 small onion, diced small
1 red pepper, diced small
1 handful flat leaf parsley, minced
1 lemon

Spread breadcrumbs on a plate or in a shallow dish and set aside. Saute onion and red peppers in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until tender. Let cool. In a large bowl, mix crabmeat, onion/pepper mixture, egg, mayonaise, Old Bay seasoning, Tabasco, mustard and juice of one lemon together. Gently fold in Ritz crackers and parsley. The mixture will be loose.
Using a 1/2 cup measure (for entree-sized crab cakes) or a tablespoon (for appetizer-sized crab cakes), gently form patties. Dredge patties in breadcrumbs. Place on baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes -- preferably at least an hour if you have time.
Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet until hot but not smoking. In batches, fry crab cakes 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Do not crowd! Drain on a plate lined with paper towels and keep warm in a 250 degree oven until ready to serve. Serve with either cocktail sauce or (my favorite) homemade remoulade sauce and lemon slices. These are yummy for dinner with a green salad or burger-style on a toasted English Muffin with lettuce and remoulade sauce.