Paula Deen's Crab Cakes With Lemon-Dill Sauce

These crab cakes are melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Lemon Dill Sauce

• 1  cup mayonnaise
• 1⁄4 cup buttermilk
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh dill leaves
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1  tablespoon  grated lemon zest
• 2  teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1  garlic clove, minced

• Crab Cakes

• 3  tablespoons butter
• 1  green onion, finely chopped
• 2  tablespoons  finely chopped red bell peppers
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 3  tablespoons heavy cream
• 1  tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1  egg
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  minced fresh parsley
•  cayenne pepper
• 1  cup  breadcrumbs
• 1⁄4 cup  grated parmesan cheese
• 1  lb  crabmeat (white or claw crabmeat, picked free of any bits of shell)
• 2  tablespoons  vegetable oil

Directions

1. To make the sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Refrigerate until chilled.
2. The sauce will thicken as it chills.
3. To prepare the crab cakes, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat.
4. Saute the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until the pepper is limp, approximately 3 minutes.
5. Add the cream, mustard, 1 egg, parsley, cayenne pepper and 1/2 cup bread crumbs, to taste, and mix well.
6. Gently fold in the crabmeat.
7. Form the mixture into 8 patties, about 1/2-inch thick.
8. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of bread crumbs with the Parmesan.
9. Pat this topping onto both sides of the patties.
10. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
11. Using a skillet, combine the oil and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
12. Saute the crab cakes in the hot oil-butter mixture for approximately 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
13. These crab cakes can also be baked for 7 to 10 minutes in a 400 degree F oven.
14. To serve, spoon a dollop of the lemon dill sauce along side each crab cake.
15. **Cook time doesn't include refrigeration of the crab cakes for approximately 2 hours to let them firm up.