I Love Crab Cakes

I do! I love crab cakes. So naturally, I try to make them as often as possible, and I play around with recipes I like to give them a special Lindsay twist. I really like the recipe from Cooking Light's April 2008 issue, but with some changes.

Crab Cakes with Roasted Vegetables and Tangy Butter Sauce

• Crab cakes:
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 pound lump crabmeat, drained and shell pieces removed
• 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• Cooking spray
• 
  Vegetables:
• 21 baby carrots (about 12 ounces)
• 5 small red potatoes, quartered (about 8 ounces)
• 4 medium shallots, halved lengthwise
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces haricots verts, trimmed
• 
  Sauce:
• 2/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter

Preparation

1. To prepare crab cakes, combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Gently fold in crabmeat. Gently stir in 3/4 cup panko. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

2. Divide crab mixture into 8 equal portions (about 1/2 cup each); shape each into a 3/4-inch-thick patty. Place remaining 3/4 cup panko in a shallow dish. Working with 1 patty at a time, dredge in panko. Repeat procedure with the remaining patties and panko.

3. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat both sides of crab cakes with cooking spray. Add 4 crab cakes to pan; cook 7 minutes. Carefully turn cakes over; cook 7 minutes or until golden. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, cooking spray, and remaining 4 crab cakes.

4. Preheat oven to 450°.

5. To prepare vegetables, leave root and 1-inch stem on carrots; scrub with a brush. Combine carrots, potatoes, and shallots in a small roasting pan. Coat vegetables with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Toss. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes, turning once. Coat haricots verts with cooking spray. Add haricots verts to vegetable mixture; toss. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

6. To prepare sauce, combine broth, shallots, and vinegar in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 4 minutes); remove from heat. Stir in butter. Serve with crab cakes and vegetables.

Notes:
I added more panko and mayo to beef up the dish, and I also added about 1/2 of a red bell pepper to add some more texture and flavor. I used all of the sauce on the vegetable mixture, and then used the red pepper dressing from my steak salad as a sauce for the crab cakes, which was DELICIOUS.