Crab Cakes with Orange-Dill Sauce

Directions

*If you can't get fresh crab, look for the pasteurized crab usually sold in the refrigerated case of your supermarket or fish store.

**Check out Making Homemade Bread Crumbs.

Prepare Orange-Dill Sauce. Carefully clean the crab meat of any shells or cartilage; set aside.

In a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat, melt 1 teaspoon butter. Add celery, onions, chives, and chile pepper; saute 2 minutes or until vegetables are limp; remove vegetables from heat and place in a large bowl. Add crab meat, mayonnaise, bread crumbs, and lemon juice; gently mix together. Season with salt and white pepper. Carefully fold in egg with a rubber spatula until mixture just clings together.

Divide crab mixture into eight portions and shape each into a flat, round cake about 3 inches across and 1-1/2 inches high Place onto a baking sheet lined either parchment or wax paper; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerator at least 3 hours or overnight (the cold will firm up the cakes so that they will not break up when fried.)

In a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat, heat butter until hot but not smoking (add more butter if needed). Gently lay chilled crab cakes onto bottom of the pan; slowly fry crab cakes approximately 4 minutes per side or until crisp and golden brown, turning once only with a spatula. If the crab cake browns too quickly, reduce heat. The internal temperature should be 150 to 155 degrees F. with an instant read cooking thermometer. Remove from heat, transfer onto a serving platter, and serve hot with Orange-Dill Sauce.

Makes 4 servings (8 crab cakes) as a main course and 6 servings (12 crab cakes) as an appetizer or starter course (two each per serving).

Orange-Dill Sauce:

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, orange zest, orange juice, and dill weed. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour. Serve cold.

Ingredients

• 1 pound cooked fresh crab meat*
• 4 teaspoons butter, divided
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/4 cup minced green onions
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
• 1 jalapeno chile pepper, cored, seeded, and minced
• 1/4 cup light or low-fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs**
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten
• Orange-Dill Sauce
• 2 tablespoons light or low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh dillweed

Parsed from recipe text (no separate ingredient records).