Crabcakes - Baltimore Style

• 1 # lump crabmeat, picked through to remove shell pieces
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/8 cup dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 oz crushed saltine crackers (about 2/5 of a sleeve)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, minced
• 1 small green or red bell pepper, small dice
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Salt & FG black pepper, to taste
• Canola oil

1. Add all of the ingredients into a bowl except the crabmeat and canola oil, mixing well. Add crabmeat last, folding it in gently. Form this mixture into 8 (eight)crabcakes. Line a dinner plate with wax paper and place the crabcakes on it. Cover them with more wax paper and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pour 2 ounces of canola oil into a large, heavy, nonstick (or aluminum) fry pan and heat it up on your stove, over medium-high heat until pan just begins to smoke. You really do need a very hot pan to get a good crust on the cakes, but keep a close eye on the pan when you heat it up. As you place the first cake in the pan, you should notice a loud sizzling sound. This means the pan is hot enough - if not remove the cake and wait a bit and try again.
3. Quickly add the rest of the crabcakes and let them cook for 30 seconds. Take a spatula and, holding it upright and using only the tip, press down on each crabcake, making 3 left to right lines and 3 front to back lines (like making a tic tac toe pattern with extra lines). Otherwise, let the cakes cook undisturbed for a total cooking time of 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. You should have a medium/heavy brown crust on the bottom of the cakes.
4. Turn the cakes over and repeat the procedure. When you have a nice medium/heavy crust on the other side, remove the pan from the stove and transfer the cakes to a heavy baking sheet. Put the baking sheet into the preheated oven and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Please note that if your fry pan has no plastic or rubber handle or other non-metal parts, you may omit the baking sheet and place the fry pan directly in the oven.
5. If made correctly, this recipe is good enough to be a signature dish for all but the very best restaurants. There should be a nice contrast between the crunchy exterior and the creamy interior. By sauteing the cakes in a screaming hot pan you get a wonderful crust and the cakes do not stick to the pan.

lump crabmeat, mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, crackers, garlic, bay seasoning, flat leaf parsley, green, eggs, salt, canola oil

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/crabcakes-baltimore-style-1267703 (may not work)