Crab Cakes w/ Sriracha 'Aioli'

If you've made yourself at all familiar with this blog, you are aware of my healthy (or somewhat un-healthy) obsession with pancakes.  Aside from pancakes, I have another favourite cake....crab cakes! (At this point you may find yourself asking 'does she like any regular cakes, you know the chocolate or vanilla variety?'  The answer is of course, YES!)  But...,with crispy, golden bread crumbs and jumbo lump crab meat, how can you not fall over yourself at the sight of these. 

Aside from being delicious, and ever changing, depending on which restaurant you go to, crab cakes also remind me of San Francisco.  Otherwise known as my favourite American city.  J and I have visited twice and currently have our third trip booked for years end.  I love going down to Fisherman's Wharf (or anywhere in the city for that matter) to enjoy a couple 'cakes' accompanied by a nice glass of white wine.  Ahhh, life on vacation!

Tonight, I made them with red peppers, garlic and jalapenos, served with a spicy yogurt sauce.  Mmm...super good.  Mini vacation @ my very own kitchen table.

Scorecard:

J - 1; Crab Cakes - 0.

Recap:

OMG - it's been less than ten minutes, I'm 4 crab cakes in (OK, 4.5 - the kids needed help finishing theirs), wanting more.  "Wait!  What do you mean there isn't any left?  How can that be?"  Que the single tear streaming down my cheek (call me dramatic.)  Pass the Kleenex please.

Enjoy.  (I know I did!)

Crab Cakes w/ Sriracha 'Aioli'

Ingredients:

1 lb jumbo lump crab meat

1 cup Panko bread crumbs, divided

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped finely

1 sweet red pepper, chopped finely

2 green onions, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 Tbsp crab seasoning (Watkins)

1 egg, beaten

3 Tbsp mayonnaise, divided

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 tsp Sriracha hot sauce

Method:

Preheat oven to 425F.  Line baking sheet with tinfoil.

In a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add green onion, red pepper and jalapeno and cook until peppers soften, approximately 3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.  Set aside to cool slightly.

In large mixing bowl combine pepper-onion mixture with crab, egg, 1/2 cup Panko, crab seasoning and 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise.

Put remaining 1/2 cup Panko on a plate.  Form crab mixture into 8 cakes and gently roll each in the breadcrumbs.  Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake until crab cakes are golden brown on the bottom, 10 minutes.  Gently turn them over and cook for an additional 10 minutes.  In the meantime, in a small bowl combine yogurt with remaining 2 tablespoons mayonnaise and hot sauce.

To serve, top each crab cake with 1/2 teaspoon of sauce.

Yields: 4 servings

Happy Eating!

LOVE, JS

Recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger