Serious Crab Cakes

• For the Crab Cakes:
• 1 loaf of fresh Portugese Bread or Brioche, crumbed in food processor or blender. Reserve 2 cups for the recipe; freeze the rest for future use.
• 1 lb. canned or fresh lump crab meat, picked over for cartilage and shell.
• 2 medium eggs, beaten.
• 2 Tbls mayonaise
• 1 Tbls fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbls Ponzu sauce (available in the Oriental Foods aisle)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped scallion greens or chives.
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red pepper
• 1 small jalepeno pepper, very finely chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp sweet curry or sate powder.
• 1 Tbls chopped fresh Lemon Basil or Lemon Verbena (if unavailable, substitute 1 tsp lemon zest).
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves.
• Olive oil and unsalted butter, enough to cook 2 batches (about 2 Tbls each).
• Panko style bread crumbs,enough to coat the cakes.
• Salt and pepper to taste
• For The Sauce:
• Equal parts mayonaise and relish with enough Ponzu sauce to flavor the sauce but not make it too liquid.

1. Make The Cakes:
2. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, mayonaise, lemon juice, Ponzu sauce, salt, pepper, and spice until well combined.
3. Mix in the chopped pepper,scallion, and herbs. Mix in the bread crumbs. Mixture should be moist, not quite holding its shape if formed into a pattie.
4. Carefully mix in the crab meat, taking care not to break it apart too much.
5. Form into the required number of cakes, and place them on a bakeing sheet.
6. Cover with cling wrap and refridgerate at least 1 hour.
7. Make The Sauce:
8. Combine the mayonaise and the relish in quantities sufficient for each person to have about 2 Tbls. Add Ponzu to flavor but not so much that the sauce is too liquid.
9. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
10. Coat each crab cake with Panko, pressing slightly to make it stick, and reshaping the cakes as necessary.
11. Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet on meduim high heat. When a drop of water placed in the pan sizzles, but before the oil shimmers, arrange the cakes in the pan, cooking only enough at a time to be able to turn them easily.
12. Cook until Panko is golden brown, about 5 minutes per side, being careful to rotate the cakes so that they cook evenly on all edges.
13. As they are browned, transfer the cakes to a baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven.
14. Continue to cook the finished cakes in the oven until they are warmed through; about 15 minuets for larger cakes.
15. Note: if making mini cakes, they will need less time in the oven.
16. Cakes may be kept warm for 30 minutes or so in a 200 degree oven before serving.

fresh portugese bread, fresh lump crab meat, eggs, mayonaise, lemon juice, ponzu sauce, scallion greens, red pepper, jalepeno pepper, sweet curry, lemon basil, thyme, olive oil, bread crumbs, salt, mayonaise

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/serious-crab-cakes-50097447 (may not work)