Sunday Small Bites #2 - Crab (Happy Trails For Us: My Reluctant Blog)

Crab Cakes with Creamy Caper Sauce

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For this week's recipe I found something that had two of David's favorite things: crab and capers, and I feel like I have never used them together before. Like last week, this could be either a small plate appetizer or a light entree. I found the recipe in a June 2000 Bon Appetit and adapted it to our tastes.

Crab Cakes with Creamy Caper Sauce

Ingredients
Sauce
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup drained capers, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives

Crab Cakes
• 1 pound crabmeat (which I found fresh at Costco, a nice surprise)
• 3/4 cup plus 2 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (I used Panko)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 large egg, beaten to blend
• 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

• 1/2 cup or more vegetable oil (for frying)

Preparation
for caper sauce:
Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

for crab cakes:
Combine crabmeat, 1 cup breadcrumbs, and next five ingredients in large bowl. Spread 2 1/2 cups breadcrumbs on rimmed baking sheet. Using 1/4-cup capacity ice-cream scoop, form crab mixture into 24 small balls. Flatten slightly. Coat crab cakes in breadcrumbs, transfer to another baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
Heat 1/2 cup oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry crab cakes until brown, adding more oil to skillet as needed, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer 2 crab cakes to each of 12 plates. Serve, passing caper sauce alongside.

Making the sauce:

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