Odeon Crab Cakes

Ingredients

1. For the Crab Cakes
2. 2 pounds fresh lump crab meat, picked through of any shells
3. 1 bunch fresh thinly chopped scallions
4. 1 cup fresh chopped parsley
5. 6 eggs beaten
6. 1/2 cup milk
7. Worcestershire sauce, 3-5 shakes, approximately
8. 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
9. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
10. 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
11. 1 1/2 cups sifted bread crumbs
12. Butter or clarified butter for sauteing the crab cakes
13. For the Lemon Butter Sauce
14. 1/3 cup white wine
15. 1 tablespoon shallots, diced finely
16. juice of 2 lemons, seeded and strained
17. 1 stick butter, cut into small pieces

Instructions

1. Into a large mixing bowl, beat eggs then whisk in the milk. Shake enough Worcestershire sauce to turn mixture a light brown, about 3-5 good shakes. Stir in cayenne, kosher salt and pepper.
2. Fold together the scallions and parsley with the lump crab meat then pour in the egg mixture stirring gently together. Lightly stir the bread crumbs throughout the crab mixture, refrigerate for at least one half hour to meld the combination together. Mold crab cakes and place them on a cookie sheet in refrigerator until ready to saute. Brown crab cakes 3-4 minutes each side on low to medium heat.

Lemon Butter Sauce

1. Cook the shallots and the wine in a small saucepan until reduced to half then pour in the strained lemon juice and cook on medium heat for about three minutes. Reduce the temperature to low and whisking vigorously add in the butter small bits at a time. If sauce begins to separate, take the pan off of the heat while continuing to whisk adding in more butter, then return sauce to low heat until all of the butter has been added. Using a small ladle, drizzle the sauce onto a plate before topping with a crab cake.

Notes

1. For a professionally shaped crab cake use a metal cookie round, fill with crab cake mixture and press the top with a meat pounder. See photo above. Use a spatula to transfer to cookie sheet