Lump Crab Cakes with Old Bay and Jalapeno

Raise your hand if you survived Thanksgiving! I’m happy to announce that we did indeed survive, too: we didn’t burn down the house cooking, election discussion was kept to a minimum so every one is still alive and kicking, and hello… we can all decorate for Christmas now? Exactly. And you’re asking yourself what crab cakes have to do with it, amiright? Welp, the holidays are officially underway, and we’re cuddling up in this cold weather with our better halves – so I thought an ah-maze-ing post-Thanksgiving recipe (i.e. sans butter and cream) in these winter months to win over our significant others may just come in handy, just sayin’. I’m lookin’ out for you, what can I say (you’re welcome in advance).

I’m 99.98% sure these melt-in-your-mouth crab cakes are the reason my husband married me. The other .02% is my sparkling personality (of course). Just kidding… it’s probably 100% the crab cakes – because holy freaking flavor. Make these little nuggets of golden deliciousness and your significant other will never look back (this was the very first recipe I ever made the sous chef – now husband). So there you have it – trust me, friends!

Lump Crab Cakes with Old Bay and Jalapeno:

• 1/4 cup cup mayonnaise
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/4 yellow onion, finely diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded, finely diced
• 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
• 3/4 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, egg, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and old bay seasoning.

Add the onion, bell pepper and jalapeno to the mixture.

Next, gently fold in the lumb crab meat.

Then, fold the panko into the mix until combined, being careful not to break up the lumps of crabmeat. Refrigerate for 15 minutes (can do overnight if helpful).

Using your hands, form roughly six crab cakes from the mixture.

Finally, we’re going to saute these bad boys up – heat the olive oil and butter in a large non-stick saute pan until over medium heat until hot.

Once heated, add the crab cakes – feel free to do these in batches. Let simmer for four or so minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Flip and repeat.

Side note: my favorite remoulade for crab cakes is actually Boar’s Head Cajun Remoulade. My best friend introduced this beautiful condiment to me and I never looked back.

And after all of that – there’s only one more step: Enjoy (oh wait, no other choice because these are THAT good).

Okay, okay – one more. Pour yourself a glass of wine (duh). Now you can enjoy. Cheers!