Mini Maple Crab Cakes

Ingredients:

For Crab Cakes:

1 (16 oz.) can crabmeat, squeezed dry

1/4 cup pure maple syrup (dark amber or Grade B is best)

1 tablespoon Dijon or whole grain mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay® seasoning (or other seafood seasoning)

1 teaspoon cajun seasoning

1/2 green bell pepper, finely diced

1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced

1 tablespoon finely minced shallots

1/2 lime, juiced

1/2 lime, zested

1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce Oil, as needed

Additional Panko breadcrumbs, as needed

For Maple Cream Sauce:

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon pure maple cream or maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon lime juice 1/4 teaspoon lime zest

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce Salt and pepper to taste

For Crab Cakes:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Let mixture sit and absorb moisture for about 5 minutes. Form into mini patties. When ready to cook, heat a large saute pan over high heat until hot. Add enough oil to slightly coat the bottom of the pan. Dredge each mini crab cake in more panko breadcrumbs. Cook each crab cake over medium to medium-high heat until golden, flip once, and cook until golden. Place crab cakes on sheet tray and finish baking in a 450°F oven until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.

For Maple Cream Sauce:

Whisk together sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Let sit 10 minutes to meld flavors. Place a small dollop on top of each crab cake and serve.

Makes about 2 dozen cakes.

Source: "Farmstand Favorites, Maple Syrup"

Recipe Notes: We found the crab cakes a little on the sweet side so we cut the original amount of maple syrup from 1/2 to 1/4 cup. Also, you can substitute maple syrup for maple cream in the sauce, but the sauce will be a little thinner consistency.