Ah the sacrifice of Lent. A.K.A., the time when South Louisiana goes crazy over seafood on Friday nights.
Okay, the other time.
I gave up bread this year, so my po-boy intake is down dramatically. Ditto for fried seafood. Any parent will tell you having kids can impact your diet, so wifey and I try to cut things down where we can. We love food, so this is not easy.
However, she found this recipe on Skinnymoms.com, and I have to say, it came out pretty good. It's not going to be the finest, restaurant-quality crab cakes you'll ever have, but given that we threw it together quickly on a Friday night, I was pretty impressed.
Ingredients
1 lb crab meat, drained
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp reduced-fat Miracle Whip®
5 Tbsp whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs
Zest of 1 lemon
3 scallions thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash® Extra Spicy Seasoning Blend (OF COURSE I don't keep this in my house...who do you take me for? We substituted a teaspoon of Slap Ya Mama hot blend -- use the Cajun seasoning or seasoning salt of your choice)
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 egg
1 egg white
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
1. In a large bowl, combine your crab meat, mustard, Miracle Whip (look, I absolutely despise mayo, but you won't taste this), breadcrumbs, scallions, parsley, lemon zest, chili powder, your seasoning du jour, chili flakes, salt, pepper, egg and egg white. Fold it in together and knead as best you can without overworking. You don't want to mix this up so much that it becomes crumbly.
2. Form patties by grabbing a handful and mashing it into your palm. Shoot for about an inch or so in thickness. This should make about 10 patties.
3. Place the patties on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. If you want to make these a day ahead of time, they'll sit.
4. When it's time to cook, heat the olive oil in a skillet on about medium-high, dredge the cakes in the whole wheat flour and fry on both sides until golden brown.
This will serve about five people. You can garnish with the wedges of the lemon you zested. I recommend squirting some of the juice on there as well.