Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli

My family and I absolutely love crab cakes. They are absolutely perfect for an appetizer, several served with a salad and grilled asparagus for a main course, or even perfect turned into a burger for a more casual meal, using the aioli in lieu of mayonnaise on the bun. Buying a whole crab from the store, poaching it and then extracting the meat can be cumbersome, and buying crab meat fresh from the fish market can be very costly. I found a wonderful alternative by using canned crab meat in my recipe. Definitely choose the highest quality of canned crab, as not to compromise the flavor. I found the best to be from Trader Joe's. An entire one-pound can of crab meat is just $10, and the freshness and flavor is wonderful. I serve my crab cakes with a lemon aioli; so easy to make and enhances the cakes with the additional creaminess and tang of the lemon. You will most definitely impress yourself, your family or your guests with the simplicity and flavor of this recipe.

Ingredients
2 shallots, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, minced
1 egg
1 pound lump crab meta
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp dried ginger powder

Grapeseed or high-temperature oil for frying
Flour for dusting the crab cakes before frying

Preparation
In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Form the crab mixture into large 2 Tablespoon portions into balls and then flatten and shape into a cake, about 1/4 inch thick. Dust each crab cake on both sides with the flour. In a large skillet, on medium heat, bring the oil up to temperature, and fry the crab cakes in small batches, 4 minutes on the first side and 2-3 minutes on the other side until they are a deep golden brown. Rest them on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Serve with Lemon Aioli (recipe follows).

Yields: 18 crab cakes*

*Depending on how large you make the crab cakes, and how many you are serving, there are sure to be leftovers. Freeze them, uncooked, layering in parchment, in an airtight container, for whenever you need them. Simply defrost on the counter for about an hour and follow cooking instructions from there.

Lemon Aioli
In a food processor pulse together and refrigerate:
2 cups mayonnaise
Zest of 2 lemons
3-4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Salt and pepper to taste