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Crab Cakes with Mushrooms and Green Pepper


Crab cakes; perhaps the perfect food? I find them utterly irresistible. If I see a crab cake on a menu, I have to order them. Done well, a crab cake is a bite of heaven; a truly transcendental eating experience. Done poorly, and they are still enjoyable to me, often do to a generous slathering of mayo-based sauce. 

Crab cakes are expensive to make at home because crab is expensive. However, I do two things to cut down on the wallop to my wallet. First, I rarely purchase lump crab meat. Heathen that I am, I actually prefer a crab cake without huge, undisturbed chunks of crab in it. I like things more thoroughly combined. Because of that, I buy the much cheaper fresh-picked claw meat. Every bit as delicious, just cheaper and smaller pieces which more easily get combined into the cracker and vegetable medley.

Secondly, I freeze my leftovers. This recipe make 14 to 16 medium sized crab cakes. I eat about 2 for a meal, so that gives me 8 times to enjoy crab cakes (and 7 of those times being as easy as thawing and toasting). It’s a lovely surprise on a tired, hungry night to look for basic sustenance in the freezer and find crab cake manna from the gods instead. 

I do hope you’ll give these a try; enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 12 ounce can of fresh picked crab meat (I use claw)
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 cup diced cremini mushrooms
1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley
2 sleeves of Ritz crackers
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon pepper
pinch cayenne
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup seasoned panic bread crumbs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon capers, minced
Juice from half a lemon
2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
cayenne, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
Vegetable oil, for frying

Method:

In a medium skillet over medium high heat, heat the olive oil until it shimmers. Add the mushrooms and green peppers and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool completely.

Mix together the cold vegetables, parsley, egg, salt, pepper, cayenne and paprika. Crush the sleeves of Ritz crackers and add them to the mix. Add the crab and toss the mix together until the crackers are moistened and it holds together. Cover and let it rest in the fridge for and hour. 

Meanwhile, mix together the mayo, capers, lemon, dill, cayenne, salt and pepper. Cover and let this rest in the fridge until you are ready to serve the crab cakes.

In a large skillet, preheat 2 cups of vegetable oil to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, portion out each cake using a disher,  or 1/4 cup measure, and flatten into patties. Dip the crab cakes into the panic bread crumbs and fry for  about 2 minutes a side or until golden brown. Serve with the caper dill aoli and enjoy!





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