Crabcakes

 This makes 4-6 crabcakes. I made 5. Start at least 1-1/2 hours before serving, if you can, to allow time for chilling. If you can't, you can't. You can make them several hours in advance and keep chilled in the fridge. They take less than 10 minutes to cook, so be sure to serve 'em hot.

• 1 pound crab, either all lump or lump and backfin mixed; cooked and sorted through to make sure there aren't shell pieces lurking
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 T mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. mustard
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning (if you can't get this, there are recipes on the Web. Mostly it's paprika, celery salt, a little ginger, salt, pepper; if you can get something called Sate seasoning, that's actually pretty close, too.)
• salt and pepper (careful with the salt, especially if using celery salt already and if using crushed saltines for the breading)
• any other spices you want to perk it up; I add a little extra smoked paprika and a touch of cayenne, but not too much!
• cracker crumbs or bread crumbs or Panko bread crumbs. I'm using Panko today. Sometimes I use cornbread crackers. I've heard of using ground up cornflakes. Fun to try 'em all. Quantity depends on what you use and, frankly, how wet the crabmeat is. Today I used about 1/2 cup for the mix and another 1/2 cup for the outside.
• oil for frying, 2 to 3 T

Mix the egg, mayo, mustard and spices  in a bowl. Add the checked-over crabmeat and mix gently with your fingers. Slowly add the crumbs so that you add just enough to be able to form the cakes and have them hold together.

Put the rest of the crumbs on a plate or platter
 
Gently form four to six cakes out of the mixture. Transfer each to the crumb plate to get a thin layer of crumbs on the outside.You may want to use a turner for this to prevent them falling apart.  If they start falling apart anyway or are too wet, add a bit more of the crumbs and reform.


When all the cakes are formed and breaded, put the plate of them in the fridge for an hour or so to let them "set up." This will make it easier to fry them without them falling apart. They may fall apart a little anyway, but that's not fatal. Still good!

Heat oil in skillet on medium high and fry for about 3 to 5 minutes on each side, just until nicely golden brown. Do not mess around with them -- gently turn them just once. Alternately, place on an oiled baking pan and brush lightly on top with oil or butter and stick 'em under the broiler, 3-5 minutes on each side.

Memo to the British  isles: Please note that no mashed potatoes were used in this recipe.