Crab Cakes

Serve with [Spicy Avocado Sauce] for a real treat.

• 1 lb jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over and coarsely shredded
• 3 T low fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 c minced fresh chives
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• 1 t Dijon mustard
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1/2 c panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• 1 T unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/2 t herbes de Provence or 1/4 t dried thyme
• 1/4 t salt

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Stir together crabmeat, mayonnaise, chives, lemon juice, mustard, pepper, and 1 tablespoon panko in a large bowl until blended well, then chill, covered.

Melt butter in a medium nonstick skillet over moderate heat, then cook garlic, stirring, until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add herbes de Provence, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons panko and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer crumbs to a plate to cool. Discard garlic.

Divide crabmeat mixture into 4 mounds on a sheet of wax paper. Form 1 mound into a patty, then carefully turn patty in crumb mixture to coat top and bottom. Transfer to a baking sheet and repeat with remaining 3 mounds, then sprinkle remaining crumbs on top of crab cakes. Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve crab cakes with sauce. Each serving contains about 247 calories and 12 grams fat.

Makes 4 main-course servings.