Signature Crab Cakes
Making your own crab cakes is easier than you think! Chase away the mid-week dinner “blah’s” by whipping up a batch for your family this week or make into “mini’s” for the perfect do-ahead cocktail party hors d’oeurves.
Yield: about 8 crab cakes
Yield: about 8 crab cakes
Ingredients
- 1 pound blue or lump crabmeat rinsed, drained and picked over
- 2 teaspoons olive oil or use a natural oil sprayer like the “Misto”
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1/2 green bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup whole-grain or gluten-free bread crumbs packaged or homemade
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons natural or organic mayo like Spectrum’s Olive Oil Mayonnaise
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne or to taste
- Salsa or Creamy Honey Dijon Dressing
Instructions
- Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil spray. In a medium pan, heat olive oil over medium-high setting. Sauté onion and peppers for 5 to 8 minutes or until softened and browned; place in a large bowl. Add remainder of ingredients; mix together with a fork until well combined.
- Using a 1/3 or 1/2 cup dry measuring cup, (depending on desired size), scoop out equal portions of crab cake mixture; place on baking sheet. (For hors d’oeuvre-sized crab cakes, divide into 18 to 24 portions.) Refrigerate crab cakes for 20 minutes. (allows mixture to hold together)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray crab cakes with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Broil for about 45 seconds until crab cakes are evenly browned. (Be careful not to burn.) Serve with salsa or Creamy Honey Dijon Dressing.
Notes
Make Ahead and Storage Tips: crab cakes may be assembled and refrigerated, covered up to 1 day ahead. May also be baked up to 3 days ahead. Reheat at 300 degrees F for about 10 minutes or until hot. May also be frozen for up to 4 months.
Look for the “Misto” oil sprayer that dispenses a light even coating of oil on foods without the addition of unwanted calories. Perfect for sautéing, roasting, grilling and baking as well as coating salads with just the right amount of oil and vinegar. Crabmeat can be costly. Bulk warehouses such as Costco, BJ’s and Sam’s Club often offer large savings on pure canned crabmeat.
For Homemade Breadcrumbs: as most commercial bread crumbs contain sugar, I prefer to make my own. Toast your favorite whole-grain or gluten-free bread. Let cool completely, allowing moisture to evaporate. Process into crumbs in blender or food processor. Store covered, in refrigerator up to 2 weeks or freeze up to 4 months. One slice of bread makes about 2 tablespoons crumbs.
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