Mcclellanville Lump Crab Cakes - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup best quality mayonnaise
1 egg white
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon seafood seasoning
1/4 teaspoon Coleman's dry mustard or 1/4 teaspoon spicy Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra fine cracker meal
1 lb large lump crabmeat, gently picked over to remove any shell without breaking up the big pieces of crab
1 1/2 cups fresh white breadcrumbs, made in a food processor from plain grocery-store fresh white bread, crusts cut off
1/4 cup peanut oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preparation

Whisk the mayonnaise and egg white together in a small bowl until well blended. Add the cayenne pepper, seafood seasoning, dry mustard, lemon juice, and cracker meal and whisk until well blended. Carefully fold in the crabmeat.
Divide the mixture into 6 equal parts of 4 ounces each, (or 12 equal parts of 2 ounces each), and gently pat them into the round shapes of crab cakes.
Gently coat the cakes with the fresh breadcrumbs. Place them on a platter lined with wax paper, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate them for 1 hour or until ready to cook.
When ready to serve, heat the oil and butter in a heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute the 4 ounce crab cakes for 1 minute and 45 seconds on each side, turning once.
Saute the 2 ounce crab cakes for 1 minute and 15 seconds on each side, turning once. The crab cakes will be nicely browned on the outside, but still very moist and creamy on the inside.
When cooked, remove the crab cakes from the pan and drain them briefly on paper towels.
Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200\u00b0 F oven for up to 15 minutes. If the crab cakes stay in the oven longer, they will dry out.
NOTE: Using extra fine cracker meal is the secret to the creamy texture of these cakes.