Oven Baked Crab Cakes With Lemon Aioli Served Over Salad

Both of us having done time on the right side of the continent, we have enjoyed the occasional crab cake. Being that the Dungeness crab season is about to start in The Bay Area, we decided to provide our recipe for this delicious dish. 

Try this now in the summer; served over salad,the refreshing taste of fresh greens provides a great counterpoint to the rich taste of the crab cakes and the tangy lemon aioli.
Enjoy.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
Crab Cakes:
1 # canned lump crab meat or fresh crab meat if available
1 cup plain panko bread crumbs
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup Dijon mustard
1 large egg, raw
2 T green onions, chopped small
1 clove garlic, chopped small
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped small
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 t Crab boil seasoning
½ t lemon zest
1 T olive oil
Lemon Aioli:
½ cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T green onions, chopped small
Juice from 1 lemon
Zest from ½ lemon
½ t salt
½ t freshly ground pepper
1 T flour or corn starch
Salad:
1 head butter lettuce; some smaller leaves left whole and the rest chopped
2 tomatoes, sliced or cut into eighths.
2 green onions, chopped crosswise
12 or 16 croutons

PREPARATION:
Crab Cakes:
1. In a small sauté pan, pour olive oil, heat to low heat, add green onions, jalapeno and garlic. Saute until garlic turns translucent, then remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise, mustard, Crab Boil seasoning, raw egg, lemon zest and chopped parsley. When mixed add ¾ of the bread crumbs, cooked vegetables and the crab and mix together thoroughly.
3. Divide this mix into eighths and form eight patties about ½ inch thick. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to stiffen.
4. Place on a lightly oiled tin in a 400*F toaster or regular oven and cook until golden brown; about 20 to 25 minutes.
Lemon Aioli:
1. In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together thoroughly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to cool.

PLATING:
1. Arrange some whole butter lettuce leaves around the center of the plate. Cover the center with chopped lettuce; arrange the green onions and tomatoes around the chopped lettuce.
2. Place cooked crab cakes on the chopped lettuce and drizzle cool aioli over them and over the rest of the salad.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
This dish really shines in the summer when a small and refreshingly cool meal is wanted. Perhaps one would add garlic bread; n'est pas? However; it also makes a very nice enriched salad dish to be served with a smaller meat or fish entrée. The crab cakes can also be served on a single lettuce leaf for an appetizer. They are a very flexible, flavorful and delightful dish.

Hope you try these and enjoy them.

Bon appetit,
Tom and Anita