There are crab cakes...and there are crab cakes.  I'm always trying new recipes to find the "perfect" crab cake.  Now you might wonder how many variations can there be.  Not really that many if you stick to the basics....the first basic being GOOD white lump meat crab. (That is generally not the small cans you buy at the grocery store.  Costco and Trader Joe both have good one lb. cans with rich white meat.)

The recipe below (from Cooking Light Magazine April 2012) is one of the best I've tried.  One thing this recipe said that I have not read in others is to first drain the crab meat on several layers of paper towel.  If you're a crab cake connoisseur maybe you already knew this simple step, but I didn't.

I hope you enjoy this...if not, don't be crabby about it.

CRAB CAKES with spicy Remoulade

1 lb. jumbo crab meat, shell pieces removed

2 Tablespoons green bell pepper chopped

1.5 teaspoons canola mayo

½ black pepper   (I also add ½ teaspoon lemon pepper)

2 green onions, finely chopped

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 cup panko –divided

2 tablespoons oil, divided

Drain crabmeat on several layers of paper towel. Combine crabmeat and next 4 ingredients through egg.  Toss gently and stir in ¼ cup panko crumbs. Put remaining ¾ cup panko in a shallow dish.

Divide crab mixture into 8 balls.  Shape balls into 8 patties and dredge in remaining panko.  Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat.  Add one T oil. Add 4 dredged patties and cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove from pan and fry the remaining 4 patties in other tablespoon of oil.

Crab cakes can be served over lettuce as photo shows and also with a spicy Remoulade sauce below:

¼ cup canola mayo

2 teaspoons minced shallots

1 teaspoon fresh chopped tarragon

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

1.5 teaspoons Dijon mustard

¾ teaspoon capers, chopped

¾ teaspoon white wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon ground red pepper.