Crab Cakes

In a recent Cooks Illustrated magazine there was a recipe for crab cakes.  I will confess that I never even tried one until I met my husband, and it's not something I would ever order when out to eat.  However, my husband loves crab cakes, so I figured I'd try making them at home.  After reading the recipe and looking at several others, I decided to use the Cooks Illustrated recipe as a starting point and then altered it.  

My version came out very good, if I do say so myself!  I would definitely make these again, but would probably only on special occasions because crab is not cheap!!  I'd like to explore other dipping sauces too.  This one was good, but I feel there's room for improvement.  One thing I learned from making these at home - do not reheat them in the microwave!

Crab Cakes

1lb lump crab meat (if you can't get fresh crab, use Phillips Premium Jumbo Crab)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1/2 cup plain Panko bread crumbs
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Place crab meat in a bowl and add the milk, making sure the crab is completely covered with the milk.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, drain the crab and add it to a large bowl.

To the crab meat add the scallions, dill, bread crumbs, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, Old Bay seasoning, salt & pepper and stir gently to combine.  Add the egg and fold it into the mixture until it starts to cling together.  Divide into 6 equal parts, and shape into round flat patties.  Place on baking sheet lined with wax paper.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.

When ready to cook, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.  Place flour on a plate and dredge each crab cake in the flour on both sides. Place gently into hot skillet and fry until the outside is crisp and browned, about 5 minutes per side.  Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce:  Place 1/2 cup a mayonnaise, 1 tsp of Dijon mustard, 2 tsp sweet pickle relish, 1 tsp chopped garlic, 1 tsp hot sauce, 1 tsp fresh lemon juice, and a dash of salt in pepper into the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse to combine, about 10 one second pulses.  Transfer to a serving bowl.