My husband, Jeff, LOVES crab cakes!  Me, not so much.  I find that often they are heavy and “bready” tasting or have too many ingredients that take away from the crab.  They are also usually very fattening so I would rather save my calories for…perhaps a glass of Chardonnay? 😉

I have tried many recipes in the past and got rave reviews from everyone except for the most important person…me! Then I saw the April edition of Cooking Light Magazine and among its many eye-appealing recipes, the crab cakes caught my eye because it had so few ingredients….exactly what I was looking for!

Quite surprisingly, the only changes I made to this recipe is to add a half a tablespoon of canola mayonnaise and and additional tablespoon or two of panko crumbs.  I am not including this in the recipe below because I think I needed this addition due to the fact that I used “Jumbo” lump crab meat instead of the regular crab meat.  You may or may not need to add this…I think it is a decision you will have to make based on how well your crab cakes form into patties. 

Also, I did not use the accompanying buttermilk dressing recipe because I had been dying to try the Lemon Dill Finishing Sauce from Publix and it was a winner!  Whichever one you choose will do just fine!

Ingredients (Makes 5 crab cakes or 10 mini crab cakes)

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon canola mayonnaise
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 pound lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed
3 tablespoons canola oil, divided

Addendum to Recipe (6/17/14):  Adding 1 Tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning really pumped up the flavor, so I highly suggest this new addition to the recipe!

Directions

Combine first 6 ingredients (through egg) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

Stir in panko. Add crabmeat; stir gently to combine. Let mixture stand for 10 minutes.

Divide crab mixture into  equal portions; gently shape each portion into a 3/4-inch-thick patty.  At this point, I put mine in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This little trick seems to help them from falling apart during the cooking process.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add 5 patties to pan; cook 2  to 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove patties from pan; and place on baking sheet.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. 

Spoon some of the sauce over the top and serve!  (Note:  Try not to use as much sauce as Jeff did in the picture…just so unnecessary! Ha, ha)

Bottom Line:  This was my kind of crab cake.  It focused on the crab not the fillers and I loved it!  Be careful not to try to use too much filler or it will compromise the flavor.  You just need enough to barely hold it together.  Enjoy and Keep On Cooking!