Place the onion, bell pepper and butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Sweat for 3 to 4 minutes, then spread the vegetables out on a sheet pan to cool.
Combine the next 10 ingredients plus œ cup of the panko in a large mixing bowl. Add the peppers and onions. Mix gently.
Roll Ÿ ounce of the crab mixture into a small ball, then roll it in panko to coat. With your palm, flatten the crab mixture into a cake. Repeat until all of the crab mixture is used; you should have about 18 to 20 cakes.
Coat the bottom of a sauté pan with the oil and allow to heat. Sear the cakes until heated through, working in batches if necessary.
To serve, place about œ cup of black bean salsa on individual plates. Divide the orange segments between the plates. Top with three crab cakes and drizzle each plate with orange-chipotle aïoli.
¼ cup fine diced red bell pepper
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. dry English mustard
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. lemon zest
1 lb. lump crab meat (drained)
Sea salt and ground white pepper to taste
½ cup panko bread crumbs, plus extra for breading
Dash Cholula hot sauce
Vegetable oil
Black bean salsa (click here for the recipe)
1 orange, segmented
Orange-chipotle aïoli (click here for the recipe)
This article appears in June 2011.