Ingredients
For the crab cakes:
2 large eggs
2-½ tablespoons mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s
1-½ teaspoons Dijon mustard (I went with Grey Poupon)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (I went with the classic Lea & Perrins)
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup finely diced celery, from one stalk
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 pound lump crab meat
½ cup panko (Progresso makes good panko-style bread crumbs.)
Vegetable or canola oil, for cooking (I went with LouAna canola for a nice, extra-light flavor.)
For the tartar sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s
1-½ tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
For the crab cakes:
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Combine the eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, salt, celery, and parsley in a large bowl and mix well. Add the crab meat (be sure to check the meat for any hard and sharp cartilage) and panko; gently fold mixture together until just combined, being careful not to shred the crab meat. Shape into 6 crab cakes (about ½ cup each) and place on prepared baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat a large nonstick pan to medium heat and coat with canola oil. When oil is hot, place crab cakes in pan and cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side. Be careful as oil may splatter.
Serve immediately with tartar sauce or a squeeze of lemon.
For the tartar sauce:
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve.