Dungeness Crab Cakes with Orange Butter Sauce

Yield: 4 main-dish servings or 8 appetizer servings

Ingredients

• 1/4  cup  milk
• 2  slices white bread
• 1  pound  fresh Dungeness crabmeat
• 1/2  cup  mayonnaise
• 1  large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  finely chopped sweet red pepper
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  finely chopped green onions
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  finely chopped pickled ginger
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground pepper
• 2  cups  panko (Japanese bread crumbs)*
• 1/2  cup  vegetable oil
• Orange Butter Sauce
• Garnishes: shredded fresh spinach, julienned sweet red pepper, grated orange zest

Preparation

Pour milk over bread in a small bowl.

Stir together crabmeat and next 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Squeeze milk from bread, discarding excess milk. Add bread to crabmeat mixture, and toss gently.

Shape mixture into 8 patties; dredge in panko. Press additional panko onto each cake. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot; add 4 patties, and fry 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and patties. Place crab cakes on a large baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 5 minutes.

Spoon Orange Butter Sauce evenly onto serving plates. Place crab cakes over sauce. Garnish, if desired.

* Panko (coarse breadcrumbs) can be found in Asian Markets. Fresh lump crabmeat may be substituted for Dugeness crabmeat.