Maryland Crab Cakes

Clean the crabmeat of all shell fragments without breaking or crumbling the
delicate lumps.

Place the bread in a food processor and, using the metal blade, process
until finely crumbled. Measure and reserve 2 tablespoons of the bread
crumbs to use in the filling. The remaining bread crumbs will be used to
coat the crab cakes.

Mix the crabmeat with the sweet peppers, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro leaves,
and mayonnaise. Add the “Old Bay” seasoning powder, 2 tablespoons of the
bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Mix well, then refrigerate for twenty
minutes before continuing.

Cover a work surface with waxed paper sprinkled with the reserved bread
crumbs. Using a 2-ounce ice cream scoop, form eight equal-size portions of
crabmeat. With the palm of your hand pat each portion into a disk-shaped
cake approximately 3/4 inch thick. It is important for the crab cakes to be
the same thickness so that they will cook uniformly. Press each cake into
the bread crumbs, turning them so they coat evenly on all sides.
Refrigerate for at least an hour to prevent them from crumbling during
cooking.

No more than half an hour before you plan to serve the crab cakes, add
enough oil to cover the bottom of an oven-proof saute pan. Heat until just
before it begins to smoke. Add the crab cakes gently, being careful not to
crowd the pan. (Cook them in two batches if necessary.) When the crab cakes
are well browned on both sides, place in a 375 degree F. oven for six
minutes to ensure that they are fully cooked and hot at the center. Serve
with mesclun salad, chili mayonnaise and garnish with finely chopped
tomato.

Yield: 8 servings as an appetizer; 4 servings as an entree