Recipe of The Month: Etta's Classic Dungeness Crab Cakes

 My wife got me this book, I Love Crab Cakes by Tom Douglas, with Shelley Lance and it has dozens of Crab Cake recipe's in it, along with some sauce recipe's. We decided that we would try to make a few of them and so I picked the very first one in the book!, Etta's Classic Dungeness Crab Cakes, a top seller at his restaurant for more than seventeen years.

1 large egg yolk                                                                       1/2 teaspoon Paprika

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice                                                 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh or dried Thyme

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce                                            1/2 teaspoon celery seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons Tabasco                                                           1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard                         5 Tablespoons olive oil

In a food processor or a blender, combine the egg yolk, lemon juice, Worcestershire, Tabasco, mustard, Paprika, Thyme, celery seeds and black pepper. Pulse to combine. With the motor running, slowly add the oil through the feed tube until the mixture emulsifies and forms a mayonnaise. Set aside.

3/4 cup chopped Parsley                                                         1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped onion                                                            1 pound Dungeness crabmeat, drained,                                                                                                            lightly squeezed

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper                                         5 Tablespoons unsalted butter

5 Cups fresh bread crumbs      Garnish with lemon wedges, bed of spinach, tomatoes

Put the bread crumbs in a shallow container and mix 1/2 cup of the chopped parsley(reserving  the remaining 1/4 cup for the crab cake mixture, set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the onion and bell peppers with the remaining 1/4 cup parsley.  Add the reserved mayonnaise and the crabmeat and mix lightly to combine. Using a rubber spatula, fold in 1 cup of the bread crumb-parsley mixture. Do not overwork the mixture or the crab cakes may get gummy. Gently form 8 patties and dredge the patties lightly n the remaining bread crumb-parsley mixture. If you have time, cover the crab cakes with plastic wrap and chill for an hour or longer.

Place two large nonstick skillets over medium heat and add about 2 1/2 tablespoons butter to each pan. As soon as the butter is melted, add 4 cakes to each pan. Gently fry the crab cakes until they ar hot through and golden brown on both sides, turning once with a spatula, about 4 minutes per side. The internal temperature of crab cake should be 155 degrees  on an instant read thermometer. Transfer the cakes to a bed of spinach and garnish with a wedge of lemon or fresh cut tomato's. Serve with remoulade sauce.