Crabcakes

Ah, when you get the craving for Old Bay seasoning…it can only mean one thing, CRABCAKES!  This is another excellent recipe Dee and I collected from our cooking class in Cincinnati.  This is great for appetizers or the main course.  One word of caution….when you are getting ready to test the heat of the oil prior to putting the crabcakes in, BE CAREFUL…i used an old trick of testing with a bit of water to hear it ’sizzle’ and ended up covering half the stove and myself with hot oil.  Yep, there’s a first for everything.

ingredients 

CRABCAKE
1 lb jumbo lump crabmeat
1 rib celery, finely diced
1 tablespoon onion, finely diced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon whole celery seed
1 egg
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 dash tobasco
1/4 cup bread crumbs (can substitute w. Panco — if you’re feeling gourmet)
Vegetable oil for cooking 
Old Bay Seasoning to taste

DIJON AILOI
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon minced chives
Half & half to thin
(Mix all ingredients together in a bowl very well)

preparation

1. Combine all ingredients except for the crab & bread crumbs in a bowl & mix well
2. Fold in the crab & the bread crumbs — don’t over fold as you want to keep some of the ‘lump’ in the crab
3. Form into 2 to 3 oz cakes (using an ice cream scoop is a good tool) by rolling into a bowl and flattening
4. Using a saute pan, heat oil until hot and brown cakes on both sides & heat until hot in the middle

Serve with the Dijon Aioli sauce on the side

serving size

12 cakes (main course/ice cream scoop size); 20 cakes (appetizer size), 24-30 (hor d’oeuvres)