This is one of my favorite dishes to make.  I served them at a recent wedding shower I hosted and everyone raved about them.  They are crunchy and filled with delicious chunks of crab.  The sauce is the key to this recipe – Wow!  It is a “lip-smacker”!  Don’t be afraid to work the cakes so that they will stick together, especially when you coat them in the panko crumbs.  You might have to adjust the consistency of the original cake by adding another egg white if too dry or more bread crumbs if too wet.  Make the cakes small if serving as appetizers or a little larger to have for dinner with a salad.  I have worked very hard tweaking this dish over the years, using many recipes as a source for the final product. Enjoy!

Crab Cakes with Shallot Vermouth Cream Sauce

 For the cakes:

2 eggs and 1 egg white slightly beaten

4 scallions chopped

¼ C parsley

2 cloves of garlic minced

½ C celery chopped fine

kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 T Dijon mustard

¼ C light cream

1 ½ C bread crumbs

1 lb. lump crab meat

1 ½ C panko bread crumbs

few shakes of paprika

1 tsp. dried thyme

¼ C Parmesan cheese

For the sauce:

1/3 C dry vermouth

3 shallots chopped

1 ½ C  light cream

2 T Dijon mustard

1 tsp. lemon juice

2 T butter

Combine the first nine ingredients through the breadcrumbs in a bowl and stir to mix evenly.  Gently, fold in crab, try not to break into too small pieces. Combine panko bread crumbs, paprika, thyme, and Parmesan cheese on a piece of wax paper.  Take enough crab mixture in your hands to form into a ball and then flatten into a cake.  Coat with the panko mixture. Place on foil-lined pan.  Refrigerate until firm – about 2 hours or ½ hour in freezer.

Make the sauce.  Bring vermouth and shallots to a boil and reduce on medium heat until almost dry.  Add cream, mustard, and lemon.  Reduce by ½.  Remove from heat and add the butter.  Cover to keep warm.

Brown the cakes over med-high heat until golden brown, flip carefully, and brown the other side.  Serve with the sauce.