After a dungeness crab feast at my parents' house, I was blessed with the hard-won fruits of my cracking labors in the form of about a cup and a half of fresh lump crab to take home. I love crab cakes but often feel disappointed by the filler-full ones you get in restaurants. This recipe is the best one I've tried, because it really highlights the crab, without overpowering it with too many seasonings or too much filer.



Before you think I'm bragging too much, let me tell you that this is not my recipe- it was in the NYTimes a couple years ago. The secret brilliance here is that instead of using bread crumbs as a binding agent, you use a little bit of mashed potatoes. It calls for a small amount, so if you don't want to make them either buy a small amount of prepared mashed potatoes from Whole Foods or a deli, or boil 1 peeled potato and smash it up with a little butter, milk, yogurt, or whatever to make it the right consistency.

The Crystal Beurre Blanc is a fantastic addition, but if it seems like too much effort, just put a bottle of Crystal or Frank's Red Hot on the table. The recipe suggests serving the crab cakes over spinach, but in this case I served them over sauteed shredded brussels sprouts. Delicious!

Get the recipe here.