Insanely Good Crab Cakes

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I’ve had crab cakes stuck in my head ever since having them at a friend’s birthday dinner in Wilmington, NC a few weeks ago. I’ve never made them before but wanted to try them out. I searched through Cook’s Illustrated online and found these lil guys and I liked that they had barely any “filler” and were mostly just crab. They were wonderful and the dipping sauce was incredible. A friend said that these cakes ‘rivaled restaurant crab cakes.’ Cook’s Illustrated strikes again. 

Crab Cakes

• 1 pound jumbo lump crab 
• 4 scallions, green parts only, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
• 2-4 tablespoons dry fine bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup flour, for dredging
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying

In a medium bowl combine the crab, scallions, parsley, red pepper, Old Bay, bread crumbs, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Stir, but be careful not to break up the crab pieces. Carefully fold in the egg and stir just until combined. Add more bread crumbs if necessary. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 (or more) hours. 

Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce. 

Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon adobo sauce (from chipotle in adobo)
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin

Stir together all above ingredients. Taste and add any more of anything thats needed. 

To finish the crab cakes….

Preheat the oven for 200 degrees. Put 2 layers of paper towels on a cookie sheet. Remove the crab from the fridge and pack into 12 patties. Dredge in flour and set aside. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and place the first 6 crab cakes in the pan. Fry for about 3 minutes (until golden brown) and flip, cooking another few minutes. Transfer to the cookie sheet and place in oven to keep warm. Remove the leftover oil and wipe the pan clean. Pour in the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and fry the rest of the crab cakes the same way. 

Serve over a bed of mixed greens with a lemon vinaigrette and a side of the dipping sauce.