Mini Crab Cakes with Citrus Aioli

After years of refusing to eat crab legs or crab cakes based on my devotion to the film The Little Mermaid (I spent my childhood believing that I truly was the live action version of Ariel) and my love for Sebastian the crab, I finally decided to give crab a try a few years ago, and low and behold, I fell in love! I couldn't believe what I had missed out on all those years.  I now have to hold myself back from ordering crab cakes each time I go to a restaurant, because I think I could eat them each and every day! In September, for my 21st birthday, my family had signed me up to attend a LCBO cooking class on holiday hors d'oeuvres.  You can imagine my delight when I read that one of the hors' d'oeuvres would be crab cakes!! These crab cakes were some of the best I had ever tried! They are simple to make and just as the cooking class stated, perfect as an hors' d'oeuvres for a party.  

Note: Do not attempt to make cakes larger than directed.  They will not hold together...trust me....I've tried.

Note: the aioli was originally a lime aioli, but I love the flavour of lemon with my crab cakes, so I made it a citrus aioli.

Tip:  I like to keep my aioli in a squeeze bottle to make pretty designs on your crab cakes.  A squeeze bottle also makes it easy to keep the aioli on hand for other dishes such as fish and chips.  The aioli will keep in the fridge for at least a week. 

Ingredients:

Crab Cakes

1 lb. (500g) lump crabmeat, drained and flaked

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 egg

1 shallot, finely chopped

1/2 cup roasted red pepper, finely chopped

1 tbsp fresh basil

2 1/2 cups cracker crumbs, divided

salt and pepper to season

Citrus Aioli

1 tbsp garlic, finely minced

1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 1/2 tbsp lime juice

1/2 tbsp lemon zest

1/2 tbsp lime zest

1 cup mayonnaise

salt and pepper to season

Directions:

Crab Cakes

1.  Place the crabmeat in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, egg, shallot, roasted red pepper, basil, and 1 cup cracker crumbs.  

2.  Pour mixture into large bowl, over crabmeat, add salt and pepper, and carefully combine, making sure not to over mix! 

3.  Form into about 24 mini crab cakes using about 1 tbsp of the crab mixture for each cake.  Put remaining cracker crumbs in a shallow dish and gently coat each cake with he crumbs.  

4.  In a large non-stick skillet or griddle set to medium-high heat, add enough oil to coat the bottom of pan. When oil begins to simmer, add crab cakes in batches making sure not to overcrowd the pan (a crowded pan will result in the oil temperature dropping, making your crab cakes greasy).  Cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.  

5.  Transfer batches to an un-greased baking sheet and keep warm in a low temperature oven until ready to serve.  Drizzle the tops of crab cakes with citrus aioli, or serve alongside. 

Citrus Aioli

1.  In a food processor, combine garlic, lemon zest, lime zest, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and lime juice.  Process until well blended.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.