Crab Cakes!

A few months ago, someone at our church gave us some fresh crab. Like, a lot of fresh crab. About four pounds. (His brother is a fisherman.) We were, of course, very grateful for the gift and made a batch of crab cakes within the next few days. Then the rest of the crab was packed away in our freezer and has been sitting there ever since.
So a couple of days ago, I decided to defrost the rest of it and make a double batch of crab cakes. It's my favorite way to eat crab. Okay, it's the only way I've ever eaten crab. But if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? This is the recipe from Joy of Cooking.


Important note: make sure you leave time to refrigerate the cakes for 1-2 hours, otherwise they'll fall apart.

Crab Cakes
8 small or 4 large crab cakes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup minced scallions (I used onion)
Optional: 1 tablespoon minced red bell pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon crab boil seasoning
1/4 cup minced parsley, cilantro, and dill (I used a teaspoon of dried parsley)
2 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
1-2 cups fresh bread crumbs, toasted

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. When the butter foam has subsided or the oil is hot, add the scallions, red bell pepper if using, and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the scallions are tender but not browned, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
2. Gently mix the crabmeat, egg, mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper, crab boil seasoning, parsley, and 2 Tbsp. bread crumbs in a large bowl. Add the sauteed vegetables and mix well.
3. Place 1-2 cups bread crumbs on a plate. Shape the crab mixture into large or small cakes. One at a time, coat each cake in the bread crumbs, pressing lightly to make sure the crumbs adhere. Place the cakes on a rack or on a plate lined with wax paper. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
4. Heat 1/4 cup butter or vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the fat is hot, add the cakes without crowding - cook them in 2 batches if necessary. Adjust the heat so that the fat is sizzling but not burning the bread crumbs, and cook, turning the cakes until both sides are nicely browned. Smaller cakes need a total of 8-10 minutes, larger ones 12-15 minutes. If cooking in batches, keep the finished cakes warm in a 300 Fahrenheit oven while you complete the cooking. Serve immediately.