Seafood is one of my favorite food groups and crab cakes are right at the top of the list.

However, it's hard to find one -- either in a recipe or at a restaurant -- that has

recognizable pieces of crab and is not fried. This recipe for Crab Cakes with Roasted Red

Pepper Aïoli meets all of my criteria. It has large pieces of crab, is lightly stirred

together, covered with Panko for crispiness, and baked till golden. Perfection.

I've only made these crab cakes with Dungeness crab, but I'm sure it would be delicious

with other varieties as well. I’ve heard blue crab is delicious and I know people who

swear that snow crab is the best ever. At the end of the day, the best crab to use is the

one available to you, right?

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 18 minutes | Servings: 9 3-inch cakes or 25-27 1-inch appetizer bites

12 ounces shelled, cooked crab

¼ cup celery, finely diced

¼ cup chives, chopped fresh

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 large egg

2 tsp Dijon mustard

¼ tsp hot sauce

1¼ cup panko bread crumbs, divided. See Notes.

⅓ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup roasted red peppers, chopped (See notes)

1 Tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp garlic, finely chopped

Heat oven to 475°F.

Sort through the crab and discard bits of shell.

In a bowl, combine celery, chives, mayonnaise, egg, mustard, and hot sauce. Mix,

then add it to the crab and ¼ cup of the panko. Gently mix.

Put the remaining cup of panko in a shallow plate. Shape the crab mixture into

rounds of the size you want, turn carefully in the panko to coat on all sides. Place

cakes slightly apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Bake until golden brown, 15-18 minutes. Transfer cakes to a platter, top with Red

Pepper Aioli, and garnish with fresh chives. Serve warm.

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Keep refrigerated till ready to serve.

Can be made ahead.

Notes: The prep time listed is if you don't have to shell the crab! If you have that chore to

do, be sure to allow enough time. You can most certainly use gluten-free panko crumbs or even finely ground, dried breadcrumbs. However, if you don't have a gluten-intolerance, you'll really enjoy the texture that real panko breadcrumbs have. Buy whole roasted red peppers and chop them yourself so that you can get a small enough dice, or roast your own red peppers for a very fresh taste. Although it is advised to serve these crab cakes warm, I can attest to the fact that

they are delicious cold, too. 

Bon Appétit!

Tammy Circeo, Freelance Recipe Writer

www.tammycirceo.com | IG: @cheznous_tammycirceo | FB: TammyCirceoChezNous