BAKED CRAB CAKES WITH CRESS SAUCE, By Dawn

By LRay

Ingredients

• CRAB CAKES:
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 4 slices white bread, trimmed and cubed
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, drained
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsely
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 cup fine, dry plain breadcrumbs
• CRESS SAUCE:
• 1 bunch fresh watercress, leaves only, finely diced
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped

Details

Servings 18
Adapted from tastebook.com

Preparation

Step 1

CRAB CAKES

1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; add celery and onion and sauté for 10 minutes; set aside.

2. Combine bread cubes and milk in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Drain and stir in the celery mixture, crabmeat and next five ingredients. Shape into one-inch balls and roll carefully in the breadcrumbs. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Cover and chill up to 8 hours.

3. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden. Serve with cress sauce.

CRESS SAUCE:

Yield: 2 Cups.

1. Combine all ingredients. Cover and chill well. Keeps one week.

Cook’s notes

I have been making this recipe for about 12 years. Here are some things I have learned over the years.

*Wear latex gloves to pick through the crabmeat while it is draining, checking for shell. It is much easier to feel the shell with the gloves on. I keep the gloves on for shaping the crab cakes.

*Chop all of your ingredients before you begin; the small dice of the celery, onion and parsley is key to this recipe turning out right. I use good quality bread (Pepperidge Farm white sandwich bread, which retains its shape well during the soaking).

*DO NOT overmix or overshape the crab cakes — this causes them to be heavy. *I use the littlest size stainless-steel ice cream scoop to shape them and barely dredge each side in the bread crumbs. The chilling stage prior to baking is key to helping the crab cakes stay together, yet retain their lightness. When you are ready to bake them, let the cookie sheets stand on your counter about 20-30 minutes to come to room temperature a bit before baking.

Source: Dawn (Tastebook). Original Recipe from Joan Powell, Dallas Texas as noted in Southern Living Magazine.