Circle B Kitchen
Adapted from Gourmet
Yield: Makes 4 main-course or 8 appetizer servings
For sauce
1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (may need more)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 chopped Serrano or jalapeno pepper
¼ cup milk (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
For crab cakes
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over and coarsely shredded
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup minced fresh chives or scallions
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 – 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Make sauce:
Pulse avocado with mayonnaise, lime juice, salt, and one half of the chile in a food processor until chile is finely chopped. Taste and add more chile if desired. If you would like to thin the sauce, add a little milk and purée until smooth. Stir in the chopped cilantro and transfer sauce to a bowl and chill, covered.
Make crab cakes:
Gently stir together crabmeat, mayonnaise, egg, chives or scallions, lemon juice, mustard, and pepper in a large bowl until combined. Form into4 or 8 patties, cover and chill for about an hour.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium nonstick skillet over moderate heat, then cook garlic, stirring, until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the salt, and panko and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer crumbs to a plate to cool. Discard garlic. Stir in the chopped cilantro.
Carefully turn each chilled patty in the crumb mixture to coat top and bottom. Transfer to a baking sheet and repeat with remaining mounds, then sprinkle remaining crumbs on top of crab cakes. Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve crab cakes with sauce.