Contestant #3 Crab Cakes and Potatoes

Lent is always a fun time because it causes me to get creative in my search of a Fishy Friday meal for a few weeks to keep things interesting. I have never eaten a whole crab before, but have always heard that it's good, so I wanted to try it. I figured crab cakes were a good way to "get my feet wet!" This is the second time I've made this recipe, tweaking it a bit from the original to get things just right. We served it up with some garlic mashed potatoes (I know, not very exciting - but delicious!) and Remoulade sauce (store bought, unfortunately, but next time I'm going to try making my own).

Crab Cakes:

1 lb Lump crab meat
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
3 slices of bred
1 tbsp chopped scallions (I like to chop up about 3 of them)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning (they say it's not a real Maryland-style crab cake unless it has Old Bay!)
2 tbsp mayonnaise
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 cup bread crumbs (for coating the crabs before cooking)
Small amount of oil for cooking
Lemon for garnish, if you're into that kind of thing.

1. Trim crust from bread, pull inside of bread into small pieces.
2. Soak bread well with mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay seasoning, salt, pepper, mayonnaise and scallions.
3. Add crab meat, mixing it in lightly with a fork.
4. Form into six decent-sized cakes and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes before cooking (helps them firm up and stay together better when in the pan).
5. Dip both sides of the cakes into bread crumbs before putting into skillet with a small amount of oil. Brown for four minutes per side (should form a nice, crispy crust).

Mashed Potatoes:
(Adapted from The Pioneer Woman's recipe)

5 lb potatoes
4 tbsp butter
8 oz cream cheese (or Neufchatel), softened
1/2 cup Half and Half
3/4 tsp Seasoned Salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cloves of garlic (or 3 or 4 if you really like garlic)
2 chopped scallions

1. Peel and cut potatoes into quarters. Boil for 30-40 minutes (until soft enough to pierce with a fork) with the cloves of garlic.
2. Drain well, and mash up a bit, leaving them a little lumpy.
3. Add butter, cream cheese, half and half, salt and pepper and mash to your desired consistency. If they're a little thick for your taste, feel free to add some milk.
4. Fold in chopped scallions. Serve up and top with shredded cheese if it suits your fancy.

By Lindsey