I do enjoy my seafood and I like to splurge on more expensive seafood. If your budget allows, try some crab cakes.

It’s not a hard recipe, instead relying quality ingredients – real crab meat. One can buy tins of crab meat at many seafood shops and at some supermarket seafood sections.

Many of the accompanying sauces are mayonnaise based sauces/dips. My fave is a Louie sauce. The origins are still being debated but we can settle on it coming from West Coast restaurants/hotels.

I make my crab cakes about the size of slider burger. This way, You can serve two or three person. These are lightly fried in a pan and since everything is cooked in the ingredients, you want to fry each side ’til golden-brown.

Crab Cakes With Louie Dressing
(makes 12-14)

Louie Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tbsp. Tabasco or other hot sauce

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Crab Cakes

1lb (454 gr) crab meat
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
3/4 cup diced white onions

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper (about 1/2 cup), diced
1/4 cup mayo
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 large egg
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. of finely chopped tarragon or 1/2 tsp. ground star anise
juice of 1/2 lemon

Coating

1 1/2 cups of Panko bread crumbs

vegetable oil for frying

Garnishes

some small greens

lemon wedges

1. Into a bowl, mix all the dressing ingredients and stir until incorporated. Taste to adjust seasoning, reserve.
2. In a large skillet, pour in 2-3 Tbsp.  of olive oil on medium heat. Add your onion, garlic, red pepper and reduce to medium-low heat and cook to soften for 5-6 minutes. Take off the heat and allow to cool.
3. Into a medium bowl, add your crab, cooled onions and peppers and remaining ingredients. Mix well with your hands.
4. Make one croquette and fry it off to taste test for seasoning and binding. Adjust accordingly with salt and pepper and you may add some bread crumbs if the mixture is too wet. Place in the fridge for an hour for the mix to set.
5. Using your hands, form the mixture into patties. In another bowl, pour in your Panko bread crumbs.
6. Coat your crab cakes well with bread crumbs and place on a parchment-lined tray.
7. Add about 2-3 Tbsp. of oil into a non-stick pan over medium heat. Pan-fry your crab cakes about 3 minutes/side or until golden-brown. Replenish oil as needed.

Top Tip: Want to make these a little lighter? Skip the bread crumbs and simply dredge the crab cakes in flour and fry up.