Delicious Dinners: Easy Crab Cakes

For Valentine's Day, MrMarried requested a little surf and turf action for our celebratory meal. I have a perfect dinner that fits the surf and turf bill quite well, so I happily agreed to make it.

Get ready to feel like a chef to Hollywood celebs, because these crab cakes are so good, and SO easy,  they will honestly they will make you look like a professional. I can't remember exactly where I got the recipe from, but I know it was from the Food Network website a few years ago. So, here we go:

12 ounces crab meat, cooked
5 ounces bread crumbs-- I like to use garlic flavored bread crumbs
1 egg white
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon sambal-- sometimes I put this in, sometimes I don't. If I don't add it, I like to add a hint of garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives-- I have swapped in green onions before
1 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper, to taste
EVOO
1 bunch of arugula, washed and patted dry

1. In mixing bowl, combine the crab meat with the bread crumbs, Add the egg white, mayonnaise, sambal, chives, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Fold the ingredients gently but thoroughly, taking care not to mash the crab meat.(This gets a little goopy so you might want to have a plate ready to put the crab cakes onto)

3. Shape the mixture into 4 (my version makes 6-7) uniform cakes, they should be moist and just hold together.

4. Coat a skillet with EVOO and place over medium high heat. Cook the crab cakes untl browned, about 3-4 minutes each side.

5. Serve on a bed of arugula with a side dijon mustard.

Even though the recipe says it will yield 4 cakes, this last version yielded 7 for me. I find that they are much easier to flip in the skillet when they are in smaller cakes, so perhaps that's why my way of making them yields more than the recipe. Good luck! I hope you love them.