New Year, New #DadLife Recipe: Maryland Crab Cakes

It's a new year and I wanted to try something I have always wanted to make: crab cakes. To be perfectly honest, I've always been sort of intimidated. How do I know if the crab meat is fresh? What if they're too bready? How thick is too thick?

I DID IT and you should too! They were awesome!

I adapted this recipe from one I found on Food and Wine Magazine for Baltimore-Style Crab Cakes. The biggest difference is the Old Bay seasoning versus a Cajun Seasoning. I like Old Bay, so I used it.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat, picked over
• 20 saltine crackers, finely crushed
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• Lemon wedges, for serving

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

• In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce until smooth.
• In a medium bowl, lightly toss the crab meat with the cracker crumbs. Gently fold in the mayonnaise mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Scoop the crab mixture into eight 1/3-cup mounds; lightly pack into 8 patties, about 1 1/2 inches thick. In a large skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the crab cakes and cook over moderately high heat until deeply golden and heated through, about 3 minutes per side.
• Transfer the crab cakes to plates and serve with lemon wedges.