Crab Cake Salads

The other night my daughter Katie really surprised me with a special treat for dinner - crab cakes! I watched her make them and the process is very simple -- one of those "less is more" dinners -- and the results were perfect! And these are "less" in the carb department too, so this dinner fit right in with eating healthier.

I so love crab cakes. They seem like an indulgence, but this home-made version is affordable and deeee-licious! It was if we were having dinner at a 5-star restaurant, except that we were home, the kids were wrestling and squealing in the background, and we had to do the dishes...but other than that, it was just like an elegant meal away from home! Except we had to wait on ourselves, and there was no dessert menu. But other than that, really, just like it...

CRAB CAKE SALADS
recipe from the back of the can - Chicken of the Sea Premium Crab Meat

*1 lb. premium crab meat (Katie used Chicken of the Sea, claw meat, found in a large can in the refrigerated seafood section of the market)
1 beaten egg
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon mustard, prepared (Katie used Dijon)
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. mustard (dry)
1 tsp. seafood seasoning (she even has that in her pantry!)
1/2 tsp. lemon juice (Katie used more)
hot sauce (optional)
3/4 cup bread crumbs (Katie used only 1/4 cup - found it didn't need that much)

Combine all ingredients except crab and bread crumbs.  Add crab to mixture.  Fold bread crumbs in gently.  Form into desired size crab cakes by hand.  Pan fry.  Katie formed 5 patties (burger sized) and fried in a tablespoon or two of olive oil until nicely browned on both sides and heated through.

We had our crab cakes on top of salad greens with cucumber slices and tomato wedges. Katie made an aioli from mayonnaise and hot sauce, and I made a traditional cocktail sauce from horseradish and ketchup.  It was a wonderful dinner, and I went out and bought my own can of crab claw meat for the next time I want to feel as though I'm dining out, and I'm not (!)

My crab cake salad, with both aioli AND cocktail sauces! (can't choose just one!)

*The Chicken of the Sea Premium Crab Claw Meat is about $10/$11 at Hannaford but you get five good-sized crab cakes from that. OR you could make a bunch of little ones for an impressive appetizer.  There is also a lump-crab version in the same size 1-lb. can. That was about $18. I wanted to make the same thing Katie made, so I went for the claw meat.

AND with those left-over crab cakes, you could make a killer crab cake sandwich on nicely toasted bread with crunchy lettuce and some tartar sauce.  How delicious would that be?