Sunday Supper: Crab Cakes with a Dijon Cream Sauce

Last weekend I really made use of 20 crabs I purchased at the South of the James Farmers Market. You might remember, a lesson in cleaning the crabs last Saturday, then we made the crab omelette Sunday morning, and now on to Sunday supper: crab cakes.

• 8 ounces fresh picked crab meat
• 1 egg, whisked
• 4-5T bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3T Dijon mustard
• Jalapeno, minced
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• Old Bay seasoning, enough to sprinkle

Combine breadcrumbs with crab meat. Pour in half the egg and check the consistency - it should be moist when mixed but not completely wet; add more egg if needed and form meat into desired sized cakes. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat and add cakes to brown about 5 minutes per side for a hot pan. The crab cakes should set when browned.

For the sauce, mix cream and Dijon in a small sauce pan on medium heat blending with a whisk until combines and heated. Plate your cakes, drizzling sauce over them with a spoon. Sprinkle diced jalapeno and shake some old bay on top for color.

All in all, the effort it took to clean the crabs ended up providing two amazing gourmet style meals that you might not normally think to create.

E.A.T. Tip: You don't have to make 4 ounce crab cakes. You can make smaller cakes and serve as a side accompaniment to steak or as appetizers.

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well