Baltimore Crab Cakes

While I don't live in Baltimore, I do live in a place where fresh crab is equally as abundant.  And crab cakes are just one of my all time favorites.

These crab cakes are full of crab and flavor, delicious!  On the advice of one of the reviews, I mixed the egg with the crab and let it sit while I got everything else ready.  I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to divide out the crab which gave me 13 crab cakes.  Put them in the freezer for 10 minutes before dipping them in the breadcrumbs.

Before the final breadcrumbs

Before going into my mouth!  These were sooooo good!

from Bon Appetit on Epicurious.com

1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning (I didn't have this and it was fine)
1/2 jalapeno, seeded, finely chopped (used a whole chili)
1 pound lump crab meat, picked over
1 1/4 c panko breadcrumbs, divided (used plain)
1 tablespoon chives
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons oil

Whisk first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add crab; fold to blend.  Stir in 3/4 cup breadcrumbs, chives, salt and pepper.  Divide into equal portions.  Form each into 1" thick patties.  Refrigerate or freeze for 10 minutes.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Coat cakes in remaining crumbs.  Fry until golden brown and crisp, 3 - 4 minutes per side.

I served the crab cakes with a Lemon Aioli.

from Martha Stewart

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Mix all ingredients together.

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