pearls and pasta: Louisiana Crab Cakes

Happy New Year, my beloved readers!!! I hope you all had a FABULOUS long weekend (I sure did!) and were able to relax a little bit! Well, as usual, Sunday night was family dinner night at Mama's house. I have been bugging my poor mother to make crab cakes for dinner for months now. Finally, she gave up and ventured to Costco to purchase me some crab. I have eaten them plenty of times but I've never made them myself. Usually, I advise people never to try new recipes on a day that usually consists of a traditional meal, but I was too excited to not. While I'm not a fan of spicy foods (I think ketchup is spicy) I used one Emeril's recipes as my guide. For a first time making them, I must say they were pretty delicious!!! What's not to LOVE about fried fish?! Enjoy, my friends!!!

What you'll need (makes about 20 or so medium sized cakes):

1 lb. crab meat (FRESH!!! If you can't canned is fine, but make sure its GOOD!!!)

2 ½ tbs. smart balance

1 cup FINELY chopped yellow onions

½ cup FINELY chopped celery

3 tbs. mayo

1 ½ tbs. fresh lemon juice

1 ½ tbs. grape seed oil

1 tbs. chopped green onions

1 tbs. chopped chives

1 tbs. chopped fresh parsley

3/4 teaspoon salt

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp. cayenne

6 tablespoons plain bread crumbs

2 extra large eggs

1 cup unbleached flour

2 cups panko (Japanese style) bread crumbs

1. Chop the celery and onions FINELY (I did NOT chop them finely enough, they ended up too chunky in the cakes).

2. Heat smart balance in a large skillet and add chopped onions and celery. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until they're softened. Set aside to cool.

3. Add the oil, mayo, lemon juice, parsley, chives and green onions in a food processor and combine until mixed well (about 10 seconds). Add the salt, pepper, and cayenne and process another few seconds.

4. Once the onions and celery have cooled, add them to a LARGE bowl and combine with the crab meat, mayo mixture and 6 tbs. plain bread crumbs.

5. Once mixed, form into small patties (they'll expand as they cook so don't make them TOO big!), place on a baking sheet covered in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

6. Set up your dredging station (the flour in one bowl, eggs (beaten) in a second, and panko in a 3rd (smash them together so they're fine.)

7. Take your cold cakes (cold holds better) and dip in the flour, then eggs, then panko.

8. Heat some grape seed oil in a LARGE skillet and, once hot, add the cakes (no more than 4 at a time. You do NOT want to bring down the temperature of the oil, or it'll all turn to mush!) Please excuse my icky pan.