Crab Cake Poppers with Spicy Aioli

Ingredients:

• 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup green onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons red bell pepper, diced
• 2 tablespoons celery, diced
• salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon parsley, minced
• 1 egg
• ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1½ cup canola oil

For the Spicy Aioli

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon chili sauce

Method:

Rinse lump crab meat and pick through for any shells, drain well and add to large bowl.

In medium sauté pan, melt butter and cook green onions, red bell pepper and celery. Season with kosher salt and cook 3-5 minutes or until vegetables have softened. Add to lump crab meat with parsley.

In small bowl combine egg, Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, dry mustard and cayenne pepper and add to crab meat. Stir gently to combine. Fold in ¾ cup panko bread crumbs. Roll crab meat mixture into 1-inch balls, and coat in remaining panko bread crumbs. Refrigerate crab balls for 30 minutes.

Heat 1 cup of canola oil, or about ½ inch of oil in large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Fry crab cake poppers in batches making sure not to crowd pan, gently turning so all sides are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes each side. Drain poppers on paper towel lined plate while frying remaining crab cake balls, adding more oil as necessary. Serve hot with Spicy Aioli.

For the Spicy Aioli

Mix all ingredients together until smooth and serve on the side as a dipping sauce.