Spicy Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 shallot, chopped fine
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon crab boil seasoning
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 cup plain panko bread crumbs
• 1 large egg
• Hot sauce, to taste
• 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over to remove cartilage and shell fragments
• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• Lemon Aioli, recipe follows

Directions

Heat a medium size pan over medium heat. Add the butter. Once melted add the shallot, 1 clove of garlic and red pepper. Lightly saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, crab boil seasoning, fresh parsley, 1/2 cup of the panko and egg. Mix in cooked vegetables, hot sauce, and salt and pepper, to taste. Add crabmeat and stir well.

Form crab cakes using about 2 tablespoons of crab mixture for each cake.. Flatten until they're about 3/4 inches high. Dip the cakes into the remaining panko.

Add oil to a large skillet over high heat. Add crab cakes and saute, flipping once, until golden brown and crisp, about 5 to 6 minutes per side. Serve with Lemon Aioli.

Lemon Aioli:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients together.