Crab Cakes with Lemon Dill Sauce

Well I have missed a few posts this week due to a combination of having a weekend of wedding festivities and being sick. Last night I had plans for stuffed portabello mushrooms, but being vertical was a difficult task, so I postponed making anything exciting. But today I felt better and was able to walk around the market for some fresh air and local food inspiration.

Much of my inspiration and motivation for cooking comes from great local fare. A few days ago I was hanging out at my favorite local pubs - The Manx. If you are from downtown Ottawa, you've likely heard of this small basement bar which is known for great beer, food and service. The other night I ordered the crab cakes, a dish I had yet to try there. They were like all their food mouth-watering.

This dish inspired me to make my own. Most of the recipes I found on the web were pretty similar. In the end I used a great recipe from Kevin's Closet Cooking. I adapted his recipe slightly to include some lemon juice and red pepper. Can't say they look as great as his, but they tasted delicious.

1 lbs crab meat
3/4 cup bread crumbs (panko)
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 T lemon juice
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup red pepper, diced
3 T mayo
1 tsp grainy dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 T oil
1 T butter

In a bowl mix together all of the ingredients but the oil and butter. Cover and refridgerate for 1 hour. Then form the crab mixture into patties - makes about 8 dinner sized cakes, if making for an appetizer could get about 16-20 out of the mix.

In a skillet heat the oil and butter over med-high heat. Once melted, place the crab cakes in the skillet and cook each side for 4 mins. Serve immediately.

Crab cakes are traditionally served with tartar sauce, remoulade sauce or mango salsa/chutney. I made a lemon dill dipping sauce with low fat sour cream, grainy dijon mustard, dill, salt and pepper. The dill was not mature enough so the dill flavors were lacking a bit in this dip.