I fell in love with Crab Cakes years ago when I used to spend time in Baltimore, Maryland. Like so many regional delicacies, crab cakes inspire great culinary passion and debate when it comes to determining “What is the best Crab Cake?” Analogous to cooking an authentic French Bouillabaisse, authentic crab cakes must be made with fresh, locally sourced seafood, in this case fresh, mid-Atlantic lump blue crab meat, eggs, and a small amount of a binder like crushed crackers, with minimum added flavors. The holy grail is to showcase the delicate flavor of the crab. For those of us who don’t have easy access to fresh Chesapeake Bay lump, blue crab meat, this presents a problem. Several years ago, I became a bit obsessed with finding an acceptable alternative to Shirley Phillips’ original crab cake recipe. I researched and tried a lot of crab cake recipes and this is what I came up with. If you’re lucky enough to have access to fresh, lump blue crab meat, be sure to try Shirley’s original recipe. On the other hand, if you are someone who likes/loves crab cakes, but who has to rely on pasteurized canned crab meat from your supermarket or local fishmonger, you might like this recipe. It incorporates fresh herbs to amplify the taste of more commonly available canned crab meat. I hope you like it. I call them “Crab Cakes for Everybody”.

Yield: about 12-16 appetizer size crab cakes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

• 1/4 cup minced green onions

• 2 large egg yolks

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 4 teaspoons minced fresh dill or fennel fronds (or 1 tsp. dried dill)

• 4 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon (1 tsp dried)

• 4 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro (or 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning)

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel

• dash of Worcestershire Sauce

• a few drops of Tabasco (optional)

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 pound blue crab meat or Dungeness crab meat (if you can’t get fresh, use canned crab)

• 2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided

• 2 tablespoons (or more) butter

• 2 tablespoons (or more) grapeseed oil

Preparation:

1. Line baking sheet with waxed paper.

2. Whisk first 10 ingredients in large bowl.

3. Mix in crabmeat and 1 cup panko, breaking up crabmeat slightly. Let stand 10 minutes.

4. Place remaining panko on rimmed baking sheet, spreading slightly.

5. Form crab mixture into sixteen 2-inch-diameter patties, using about scant 1/4 cup for each. Press both sides of patties into panko. (*Note: to avoid breaking apart the patties when turning, use a spatula to gently turn over each patty.)

6. Transfer patties to waxed-paper-lined baking sheet. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. (This allows the flavors to integrate and makes the patties easier to work with when you fry them.)

7. Melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil in each of 2 heavy large skillets over medium-high heat.

8. Add crab cakes to skillets and cook until golden on both sides, adding more butter and oil as needed, about 5 minutes total.

Serve with Remoulade Sauce.