Fry crab cakes until golden brown.
What better way to dress up crab cakes than with avocado, dill and a pinch of cayenne pepper? The recipe for these easy treats is from Melissa Guerra’s “The Texas Provincial Kitchen Cookbook,” by way of Terry Thompson Anderson’s “Lone Star Eats: A Gathering of Recipes from Great Texas Cookbooks” (Shearer Publishing, $21.95). You can serve them as an appetizer or a main course.
Crab and Avocado Cakes
1 pound regular lump crab meat, picked over
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
1 shallot, minced
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh dill, minced
3/4 cup bread crumbs, divided use
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Olive oil (about 1/2 cup)
Mix together crabmeat, avocado, shallot, egg, butter, lemon juice, dill, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. When well mixed, form into 12 cakes.
Heat oil in a skillet. Gently dredge the cakes in the remaining bread crumbs, and fry in the heated oil, turning once. When golden brown, remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
Note: Use two spatulas to turn over delicate crab cakes. Lift up a crab cake with one spatula, then turn over onto the other spatula, then slide crab cake back into the hot oil.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
From Melissa Guerra’s “The Texas Provincial Kitchen Cookbook”/”Lone Star Eats” by Terry Thomson-Anderson
