World Famous Crab Cakes
Submitted by Shawn Robertson
with credit to John W. Faidley

½ cup mayonnaise
1 large egg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
a dash Tabasco
1 pound fresh jumbo lump crab meat
twenty 2- by 2-inch saltine crackers
about 6 cups vegetable oil for deep-frying

Procedure: In a bowl whisk together mayonnaise, egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco. Pick over crab meat to remove any bits of shell and cartilage, being careful not to break up lumps of crab, and spread in one layer in a large shallow baking pan. Coarsely crush crackers and sprinkle over crab meat. Pour mayonnaise mixture evenly over crackers and gently fold ingredients together. With a 4-ounce ice-cream scoop or ½-cup measure, scoop and gently pack 10 mounds crab mixture, inverting onto a tray (crab cakes should be as loose as possible but packed enough to hold their shape). In a large deep heavy skillet heat 1 inch oil until a deep-fat thermometer registers 375 degrees F. Working in batches of 3 or 4, transfer crab cakes with a slotted spoon to oil and fry, separating them and turning them over once or twice, until crisp and golden brown, about 3 minutes total. Transfer crab cakes as fried to paper towels to drain. Makes 10 crab cakes.