Crab Cakes

I always forget how much I love crab cakes until I notice them on a menu. They are excellent as a main course or a hors d'oeuvre. While they are simple to prepare your guests will feel like they are in a great restaurant! I would prepare then as a companion to a filet for dinner.

1 pound Jumbo Lump crab meat

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

1/2 teaspoon fresh minced garlic

1/8 teaspoon crushed dried tarragon

1 pinch of cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

6 saltine crackers, crushed fine

1 large egg, beaten

1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

3/4 teaspoon Hungarian paprika

Toss crab meat with the lemon juice, refrigerate. Saute onion with butter and olive oil over medium heat until barely limp, about one minute. Transfer to a small bowl to cool. Mix together Old Bay, garlic, tarragon, cayenne pepper, mayonnaise, crackers, and beaten egg. Add the onions and mix well. Fold gently into the crab meat. Divide into 6 portions. Butter a baking dish that will fit your broiler. Roll the crab into 6 large balls, put on buttered dish 2" apart. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and flatten each ball a little. Sprinkle each one first with the cheese and then the paprika. Broil to toast the cheese a bit. Serve hot.