Bacon Crab Cakes

              So last week was my father’s birthday and rather than going out on New Year’s Eve (his b-day!), we decided to cook at home. In the past, we have always gone out, been rushed through dinner, were over-charged, and semi-satisfied with our meals. The company, by far, was the best part. It is almost ridiculous to think we did this year in and year out to ring in Dad’s day. But we are lovers of restaurants and haters of kitchen messes so to give some business back and keep our houses clean, we made reservations and did our small-town duty with each passing year.

                Not this year though! My mother and I put our heads together and came up with a menu that we could put together and be able to relax at home while enjoying family as well as some menu favorites. I was in charge of crab cakes, a fresh mozz platter, roasted garlic dipping sauce aka Liquid Gold, and salad. Mom was in charge of the entrée: Ina Garten's Baked Shrimp Scampi with linguini. Last, but certainly not least, my sister-in-law Katie was in charge of the dessert, a glazed chocolate chip pound cake .

                To make a long story short, everything was beyond delicious! Yum, yum, yum, it was a feast not to be forgotten! But the focus of this post is to share with you my bacon crab cakes. I absolutely love crab cakes and have done some extensive work judging them as well as making them: Crab Cake Trio and OriGINAl Crab Cakes. However this time I wanted to try something new and break the mold a bit. I combined ideas from various FNS (Food Network Stars) and my own and came up with these gems. The bacon sauté was unbelievable! The smell alone had me convinced these were going to be winners. With a set in the fridge, a quick fry, and some time to sizzle, they were amazing! Crispy on the outside, tender and smoky on the inside, and small enough to eat three and still feel good! Well, I think you get the point: make these asap and will be quite satisfied!

Bacon Crab Cakes

Makes: 12-14 cakes

OBJ: TCW will be able to use bacon to put a twist on her crab cakes

Ingredients:

For Sauté:

1 red pepper, finely chopped

½ green pepper, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 slices bacon, diced small

1 TBS unsalted butter

1 TBS EVOO

S & P, red pepper flakes

To Mix in:

1 lb lump crab meat

½ C Panko (Japanese) bread crumbs

¼ C mayo

1 large egg, lightly beaten

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

Procedures:

1. Heat oil and butter over medium flame, add peppers, onion, bacon pieces and a pinch S & P, and red pepper flakes. Stir frequently and cook over medium flame for 15 minutes, or until bacon is beginning to brown and all veggies are softened, then remove from pan and let cool (Can be made up to 1 day ahead, keep covered in refrigerator)

2. In a large bowl, combine crab meat, Panko breadcrumbs, mayo, egg, Worcestershire sauce, pepper/ onion/ bacon mixture and a pinch S &P

3. Form into ¼ C round patties (should make about 14)

4. Gently roll each cake in additional Panko to coat each side. Place on a foil –lined baking sheet, place in fridge to set for at least an hour

5. Heat about ¼ C vegetable oil over medium-high flame in a large sauté or frying pan

6. Once oil is hot and ready (place a few breadcrumbs in oil, if oil is ready they will immediately begin to fry and bubble) place crab cakes in pan and let fry on each side for about 5 minutes, or until browned

7. Place pan-fried crab cakes on a new foil-lined baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and place in oven for 5 minutes to heat completely through

8. Remove from oven, serve with slices of lemon

Happy Birthday Dad!