Crab Cakes

We have been in a dinner rut lately, the lunch rut I'm not worried about since the boys eat what I pack them; I am not going to change that, but dinner that is totally different. The other day I made a list of all of the recipes that I know by heart and the things that I know we like, some stuff is seasonal and other items just never make it into the rotation. So I made my list then I printed out a blank calendar, hence the monthly menu is back, well for now we are going week by week, but my goal is to make it at least a month in advance, and in doing so try not to repeat things more than twice a month, this does not include pizza night which is every Sunday along with a movie; that one is staying.

As I was making the list I remembered crab cakes and started to drool right there (I know... bad) but I did, so they went on the menu for this week. Then I was pleasantly surprised as I was making the grocery list for the week I checked the cupboards, the freezers and such as I do each week before heading to the place that takes all my money, that I already had crab, yea for me.

The problem was I didn't have a tried and true recipe that I just loved. I had tried a few in the past and they were lack luster at best, (this is probably why I don't make them very often) so as I searched the Internet I looked for something good that was also better for you than a fried version that is when I found this recipe from food network. I changed it a bit to fit our tastes better, but here is the original recipe.

I do think I have a good start here, but they still need some work. Less bell pepper, less onion, and they were pretty loose so I need to figure out a better way to bind them without making them heavy. I love the fact that these are baked instead of fried, bonus points there. Even though Hubby doesn't like seafood he said it was something that he was willing to try again.

This is my first version, I am still working on it, when I remake them I will post again with how the new ones turned out.

Crab Cakes
1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

a few sprinkles of hot sauce

1/4 teaspoon old bay seasoning

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper 

1/2 medium onion chopped

1 pounds crab meat

3/4 cups panko bread crumbs

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper  

In a saute pan cook onion until softened then set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl pick over crab meat to make sure you don't have any shells or cartilage. 

In a separate bowl mix together panko, salt, and pepper, set aside

In another bowl combine eggs, mustard, lemon juice, hot sauce, old bay, red pepper, cooled onions. Once combined add to crab meat and then add in 1/4 cup of bread crumbs, mix well.

On a baking sheet lined with parchment or a mat make 8 equal mounds of your crab mixture, make into rounds and then coat them lightly with panko mixture. Bake for 15-10 minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy!!