Tom Douglas's Recipe for Crab Cakes with Green Cocktail Sauce
Dungeness Crab Cakes
Yields 8 crab cakes
Ingredients:
10 slices of supermarket white bread (about 1/2 loaf)
3/4 cup chopped parsley
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 teaspoons Tabasco
7 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound fresh Dungeness crabmeat (picked over for bits of shell with claw meat and large pieces of crab left whole)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
Butter for pan-frying, about 6 tablespoons
Directions:
1. Tear up the white bread and pulse the pieces in a food processor to make fine, soft crumbs. (You should have about 6 cups crumbs.) Remove the breadcrumbs to a shallow container and mix in 1/2 cup of the chopped parsley (reserve the remaining 1/4 cup chopped parsley for the crab cake mixture). Set aside.
2. In a food processor, combine the egg yolk, lemon juice, Worcestershire, Tabasco, mustard, paprika, thyme, celery seed, and black pepper. Pulse to combine. With the motor running, slowly add the oil through the feed tube until mixture emulsifies and forms a mayonnaise. Remove the mayonnaise from the food processor and refrigerate.
3. Place the crabmeat in a cheesecloth-lined sieve set over a bowl. Pull the cheesecloth tightly around the crabmeat and squeeze out as much juice as possible. Place the chopped onion, green bell pepper and red bell pepper in a sieve set over a bowl and use your hands to squeeze out as much juice as possible. In a large bowl, combine onion and bell peppers with the remaining 1/4 cup parsley. Add the chilled mayonnaise and crabmeat and toss lightly to combine. Add 1 cup of the breadcrumb-parsley mixture and combine. Do not overwork mixture or crab cakes may get gummy. Gently form 8 patties and roll the patties lightly in the reserved breadcrumb-parsley mixture. Leave the crab cakes in the pan of breadcrumbs until you sauté them.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a nonstick sauté pan and butter as needed, pan-fry the crab cakes until golden brown on both sides, in batches, and place them on a baking sheet as they are browned. When all the crab cakes are browned, put them in the oven for 5 to 8 minutes or until they are heated all the way through. Serve one crab cake as an appetizer or two as an entrée. Serve with a ramekin of green cocktail sauce and a lemon wedge.
A Step Ahead: The crab cakes actually hold together better if prepared a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator before cooking. Store them in the pan of breadcrumbs, covered with plastic wrap.
Green Cocktail Sauce
Yields 2/3 cup
Ingredients:
8 ounces tomatillos, husked and cut into quarters
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons green Tabasco
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon mustard seeds, toasted (See note)
1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh horseradish
Directions:
1. Put the tomatillos in the bowl of a food processor and process until coarsely pureed. Remove the tomatillo puree to a sieve, drain off the liquid and discard.
2. Put the drained puree in a bowl and stir in the vinegar, sugar, green Tabasco, garlic, mustard seeds, and horseradish.
A Note: To toast spices, place them in a small heavy skillet for a few minutes over medium heat, shaking or stirring constantly, until aromatic.

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