Crab Cakes

I love crab cakes. And I like them the way God intended with very little filling, no added vegetables and just a little flavoring to enhance the crab. No need for peppers, onions, tarragon, celery etc. Let the crab shine through.

Get the very best crab you can find -- since we live in Central VA we are partial to Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs -- and mix it up carefully to create restaurant quality deliciousness in your own kitchen. I made these the other night and I swear my husband -- who eats pretty good most days -- said it was one of the best things I ever made.

Crab Cakes, Green Beans Almondine, Fresh Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
and a piece of garlic toast. Perfection! 

Crab Cakes
serves 2

1/2 pound lump crab meat, picked over carefully to remove shell
2 tsp. + 2 tsp. butter
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1 egg
pinch Kosher salt

Mix all ingredients carefully together in a bowl -- leaving aside 2 tsp. of the butter for frying the crab cakes. Stir gently so as not to break up the crab meat too much. Shape them into cakes. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. When the pan gets hot, add the remaining 2 tsp. of butter and the crab cakes. Cook them for 5 minutes without moving them so they develop a crispy crust and then carefully turn them over and cook for another 5 minutes.

Crab Cakes

Turn the heat down to low and cover the pan. Cook for another 2 minutes to ensure the egg is cooked all the way through. Serve with your choice of fresh lemon juice, cocktail sauce or a little more butter. These crab cakes come in at 6 points each if you are a Weight Watcher like me. You can reduce the points by lowering the amount of butter used, but it truly gives them a rich buttery flavor that is hard to duplicate.