Crab Cakes with Lemon-Dill Sauce

I've had about a half of a pound of crab meat leftover from the 4th and I didn't want it to go to waste. So....what does one do with left over crab meat? You got it...Crab Cakes!

The recipe I used was adapted from a Paula Deen recipe found on Food Network. I served the cakes with a side of roasted asparagus and mushrooms which made for a fairly healthy, filling meal. I paired this with a Smoking Loon Chardonnay.

Crab Cakes
extra virgin olive oil and butter
1/2 large red pepper, finely diced
1 shallot, finely minced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tbl heavy cream
1 egg, beaten
1 tbl italian parsley, chopped
1 tsp Horseradish Mustard (I use Maille)
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I had a half of a loaf of wheat bread that needed to be used up. I toasted it, sliced, in the oven, then cut into cubes. One quick run through the food processor and you have quick home made bread crumbs!)
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 cup grate parmesan cheese
1/2 lb crab meat
lemon, cut into wedges

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Saute the shallot, pepper, and garlic until the pepper is limp, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add the cream, mustard, 1 egg, parsley, old bay and 1/4 cup bread crumbs. Mix well and then gently fold in the crab meat. Form the mixture into 4 cakes, about 1/2-inch thick.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of bread crumbs with the Parmesan. Pat this topping onto both sides of the cakes. Place cakes on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. I made mine around lunch time and they sat in the fridge until 5pm when I was ready to cook them up. They didn't fall apart during cooking which is the reason for allowing them to refrigerate for a bit first.

In a medium skillet, combine more oil and butter (about a tbl of each) over medium heat. Saute the crab cakes approximately 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Serve with lemon-dill sauce (see below) and lemon wedges along side the cakes.

Lemon-Dill Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/8 cup buttermilk
1 tbl dill, chopped
1 tbl italian parsley, chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 garlic clove, minced

To make the sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Refrigerate until chilled. You can make this well in advance and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms
12 oz asparagus
1/2 cup cremini mushrooms
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
white truffle oil, to taste (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a roasting pan, add asparagus and mushrooms. Pour olive oil and truffle oil over the top. Add freshly ground salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes or until asparagus is fork tender. Toss mixture about halfway through roasting time.