Baked Crab Cakes

This weekend we had some of our very good friends to the farm for a visit on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  The weather even cooperated and let the 8 of us relax and unwind (and burn!) on the beach. When we got back home we were hungry so while dinner was getting prepared I had 3 professional taste testers sample a recipe I put together that I wasn't too sure about.  I got thumbs up all around - YIPPEE!!!  The recipe; Crab cakes (NOT crapcakes). I've never made, tasted or even seen a crab cake before so this was a challenge for me. I warn you, there are a ton of ingredients in this recipe, but if you took my advice (here) and invested in a good selection of spices you won't have to purchase much. Next time I plan on making smaller, bite-sized crab cakes for an appetizer instead of an entree. Hope you like 'em too!

Yield: 8 large or 16 small crab cakes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced (white or red onion - your choice)

1 large egg

1 tablespoon lemon juice concentrate (or 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice)

5 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons mayo

1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cans crab meat

1 cup cracker crumbs (Ritz crackers smushed up in a Ziploc)

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

salt & pepper to taste

Method

In a fry pan over medium heat, add the 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Cook the onion and until soft, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, mayo and all spices. Fold in the cooked onion, crab meat, cracker and bread crumbs. Refrigerate mixture for 15-20 mins for breadcrumbs to absorb some of the liquid. Preheat oven to 350° F. Divide the crab mixture into 8 or 16 portions. Roll each portion into a ball with your hands and place onto a greased cookie sheet. Press down gently on each ball to form a cake. Bake until golden brown on each side, about 20 minutes (if cooking the smaller ones it should be about 14 minutes). Turn the crab cakes over half way through. Serve with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice concentrate
6 slices of pickled jalapenos, diced

Mix all together. Serve with crab cakes.