Crab Cakes

I love making crab cakes. They're pretty easy and they're super yummy. We like to serve these with lemon wedges, wasabi mayo and tartar sauce. I've been using the recipe from Phillip's because it's by far the one with the highest crab to breading filling. This one is 90% crab, 10% filling. So use quality crab meat!

1 lbs crab meat (I get premium lump from Wegmans)
1 egg
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp dry mustard
2 tbsp mayo (we use olive oil mayo)
1 tsp lemon juice (always better to use fresh squeezed)
1 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp Phillips or Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I use Italian flavored)

Combine all of the ingredients except for the crab into a glass mixing bowl and whisk or mix vigorously until well blended. Drain the crab meat and fold into the mixture. The original recipe calls for gently incorporating the crab without breaking the pieces. I actually prefer to break the lumps into smaller pieces - it packs nicer into the cakes and cooks more evenly. Once blended, use your hands and form your cakes. This recipe will make six large cakes. They can be made a few hours ahead of time and refrigerated until you're going to cook them, but don't do the day before. They turn into mush if you let them sit for too long before cooking.

In a large saute pan add a thin layer of oil (I use canola) to coat the entire bottom of the pan. I go to about 1/4 inch depth or less. Heat the oil up over medium high to high heat until your oil is nice and hot. Cook the cakes in the oil until wonderfully golden brown - turning them only once in the process. Put onto paper towels when removing to drain off some of the extra oil.

Serve with normal crab cake accompaniments - lemon, cocktail or tartar sauce and our favorite, wasabi mayo. If you have leftovers, Alan suggests reheating in the oven or toaster oven to keep them from getting mushy. Enjoy!