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Crab Cakes with Lemon Garlic Aioli:

Perfect dinner for a cold winter night or a neighborhood Christmas party. 
Course Dinner
Keyword crab cake
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Crab Cakes:

  • 1 can 8 oz. premium white lump crab meat, drained (or fresh if you can get it)
  • 2 tbs mayo
  • 1 small egg
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
  • 1/2 cup fresh white bread crumbs or crushed crackers such as Keebler Club crackers or Snack Sticks if using bread crumbs, add salt to the recipe, if using crackers, no added salt needed
  • 1 tbs Old Bay seasoning
  • 1 tbs fresh chopped parsley
  • 1 garlic clove mashed into a paste
  • Fresh lemon juice from 1/2 of a lemon
  • Flour
  • 2-4 tbs Olive oil
  • 1 tbs butter

Lemon Garlic Aioli:

  • 1/4 cup mayo
  • 2 small or 1 large garlic clove, mashed to a paste with salt
  • Juice from 1/2 lemon
  • Dash of black pepper
  • 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning or more if you like

Instructions

Crab Cakes:

  • Directions:
  • Mix first 10 ingredients together, being careful to not overmix or break up the crab chunks. Dust a sheet pan or piece of tinfoil with flour. Carefully form little patties with the mixture and drop them onto the sheet pan or foil to dust with flour. Don't overhandle as the mixture will be very soft and wet. If the mixture is too wet, add more crumbs, or some flour.
  • Meanwhile, melt butter into 2 tbs of the olive oil and heat a saute pan to medium-high. Carefully drop cakes into pan with a spatula. Cook on one side until brown and crisp.
  • (Per Kirsten's suggestion, I seared the crab cakes in the olive oil and butter and then finished them off in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Perfection!)
  • Turn carefully, cook on the other side until brown and crisp and the inside of the cakes are cooked, about 2-3 minutes per side.
  • Serve hot, topped with aioli and a few sliced green onions for garnish.

Lemon Garlic Aioli:

  • Directions:
  • Mash garlic into a fine paste with the side of a knife on a cutting board, using salt as an abrasive. Mix all ingredients together. Serve with the crab cakes.

Notes

Makes 4 medium sized cakes, 8 mini cakes, can be doubled