I just love Crab Cakes, don’t you? What’s not to like? They’re crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside and delicious to boot!
For some reason I used to think Crab Cakes were something you ordered as an appetizer at a fancy restaurant, that is until I realized just how easy they are to make at home. Actually what prompted me to explore the making of crab cakes were the Crab Cake burgers they had on the menu at Ruby Tuesday’s. I loved them! Then for whatever reason they disappeared from the menu, boo! In the end I decided that Carb Cakes were super easy to make, and guess what, you can even make a bunch to freeze for later use!
So know not only do we make homemade Crab Cakes for those Crab Cake burgers, we make them for potlucks, game days, birthday parties, and other events. They’re great appetizers and snacks too of course!
For the best Crab Cakes I use Jumbo Lump Crab meat or if I can’t find that Lump Crab meat is the next best thing. I avoid using canned crab meat as it’s too shredded and in my opinion has a fishier smell and taste.
So here’s my recipe for Crab Cakes and Remoulade, which is a must have! Remoulade is the dipping sauce for the cakes and I also use it as a condiment when making crab cake burgers.
Crab Cake
Ingredients:
1 Lb. Jumbo Lump Crab meat
1/4 Cup Panko
2 Tsp. fresh parsley chopped
2 Stalks Green onions chopped
1 Tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1 Egg
1/2 Tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 Tbs. Mayonaise
Oil for frying
Directions:
Combine crab, panko, parsley, green onion, and Old Bay in a bowl. Mix well, it should be lumpy so don’t over mix it.
In a separate bowl beat egg, mayo, and mustard together.
Combine with crab mixture until it’s evenly distributed.
Form into patties – larger patties for burgers or small ones for appetizers.
Place on a sheet covered with parchment paper and refrigerate for about 1/2 hour or until firm.
Heat oil in pan and pan fry patties until it turns brown and crispy on the outside, gently turn over and fry other side.
Drain on paper towels before serving.
Remoulade
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Mayonaise
1 stalk green onion chopped
1 Tsp. relish
1 Tsp. Hot Sauce (I use Crystal or Louisiana)
1 Tbs. Horseradish (not the creamy type)
1 Tbs. Dijon Mustard
1/8 Tsp. Cayenne Red Pepper
Directions:
Mix everything together. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Chicken Milanese with Lemon Butter Sauce, wow! Sounds fancy doesn’t it? Sounds like something you’d order in a fancy Italian restaurant. It brings to mind the city of Milan, one of the world’s most fashionable city.
The name doesn’t lie, Chicken Milanese simply means Chicken made Milan style. It is one of the signature dishes of Milan; in Italian it’s called “Pollo alla Milanese”. Are you impressed yet? Traditionally it was made with veal, Cotoletta alla Milanese, but chicken has become a popular alternative.
Well let me tell you the first time I ever had Pollo alla Milanese was in a chic little restaurant in Cernobbio, a town on Lake Como about 40 kilometers away from Milan. And yes I ordered it because I thought with such a grand name it must be something different. Imagine my surprise when the waiter set a fried chicken cutlet in front of me and it didn’t even have any gravy!
Yup that’s what Pollo alla Milanese is, a battered and fried chicken cutlet. If we were talking Southern cooking it would be called chicken fried chicken and chicken fried steak if veal were used instead of chicken.
But because it’s an Italian style cutlet it’s not smothered in gravy and served with mashed potatoes and corn, like the perfect Southern comfort food. Instead it’s usually served with a bed of crisp fresh greens like an arugula salad. Instead of gravy they usually squeeze a slice of lemon over the cutlet or top it with a light lemony butter sauce. As far as I can determine that’s the only difference between chicken fried chicken and Chicken Milanese.
Well whatever you call it it’s still delicious! A bit fussy to make (you have to cut, pound, dredge, dip, bread, and fry) but so worth the time and trouble. I make it at home and serve it both ways, Milanese and fried cutlet with gravy, depending on what I’m hungry for. Either way my family loves them!
Here’s the recipe for Chicken Milanese with Lemon Butter Sauce!
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Ingredients:
4 Pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts – sliced horizontally to make 8 thin slices
2 Cups Flour
3 Eggs beaten
2 Cups Panko or breadcrumbs – I prefer Panko which can be found at Asian Markets, but bread crumbs work fine
1 Tbs Garlic Powder
2 Tbs Italian Seasoning
1/4 Cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Oil for frying
For the Sauce:
4 Tbs Butter
1 Tsp Minced Garlic
1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/2 Cup Chicken Stock
1/2 Cup White Wine
1 Tsp Italian Seasoning
2 Tbs Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper to taste
Procedure:
Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap – you will have to do this with 2-4 pieces at a time
Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap - you will have to do this with 2-4 pieces at a time
Using a kitchen mallet pound breasts to 1/4" thickness
Pounding chicken breasts between plastic wrap keeps chicken juices from splattering all over the kitchen counters.
Set aside while you get the other ingredients ready.
Mix flour and garlic powder together and place in a shallow dish or bowl
Beat eggs in another shallow dish or bowl
Mix Panko with grated cheese and Italian seasoning in another shallow dish or bowl
Line bowls up in order (flour, egg, Panko) next to the stove. This makes the frying process so much easier and neater.
place in a shallow dish or bowl
Beat eggs in another shallow dish or bowl
Mix Panko with grated cheese and Italian seasoning in another shallow dish or bowl
Line bowls up in order (flour, egg, Panko) next to the stove. This makes the frying process so much easier and neater.
Heat oil in a large frying pan. Oil will be hot enough if it sizzles when you drop a piece of panko in it.
Dredge a slice of chicken in flour making sure both sides are completely covered
Dip both sides of chicken in egg
Dip both sides of chicken in Panko mixture
Place in frying pan and fry both sides about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown
Drain on paper towel
Serve with Roasted Potatoes and Lemon Butter Sauce
Sauce
Melt 1 Tbl Butter in saucepan
Saute garlic in butter until it starts to brown
Stir in cream, stock, and wine until well combined
Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat
Whisk in remaining butter 1 tbs at a time
Stir in seasoning and lemon juice
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Serve over Chicken Milanese
Need a quick and easy dip for game day? Here’s a really good dip you can throw together, your guests will love it!
My family loves this Baked Spinach Dip. Served warm with plain pita chips, it’s awesome!
The crunchy panko topping gives this dip that extra texture that regular spinach dip is missing.
Not only is this delicious, it’s very easy to make too! You can make it a few hours ahead of time and pop it in the oven just before serving. I don’t recommend saving leftovers, it gets very watery, but I don’t think this will be a problem. It’s so good I doubt you’ll have leftovers.
It’s a pretty heavy dip so you want to use thicker or sturdier items to dip. Pita chips work great as does crostini or slices of crusty baguette. Tortilla and potato chips don’t fare so well, they tend to break while dipping.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients:
2 (10 oz.) packages frozen chopped spinach – thawed
1 package cream cheese softened and cut into cubes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter – melted
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs Directions:
1. Squeeze out as much water as you can from the thawed spinach.
2. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix very well.
3. Place spinach mixture in an oven safe baking dish.
4. Sprinkle panko over all.
5. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes, until cheeses have melted and topping is browned.
6. Serve warm with pita chips or whatever you want to dip.
If you want to add a bit of spice to this stir in 1 tbls. crushed red peppers to the spinach mixture.
The recipe calls for Panko which is an Asian style breadcrumbs. If you can’t find Panko you can substitute plain breadcrumbs instead.
You can prep this ahead of time. Store covered in the fridge and pop in the oven before serving, this may add a few minutes to the baking time depending on how cold it is.
If you must store leftover do so in an airtight container, and be sure you use it the next day. The longer it stays in the fridge the more watery it gets.
Baked Spinach Dip
Print Recipe
A baked version of everyone's favorite dip. The panko topping gives it that extra crunch missing in the regular version.
Squeeze out as much water as you can from the thawed spinach.
Place all ingredients, except butter and panko, in a bowl and mix very well.
Place spinach mixture in an oven safe baking dish.
Stir panko in melted butter until it is crumbly.
Sprinkle panko over the spinach mixture.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 - 30 minutes, until cheeses have melted and topping is browned.
Serve warm with pita chips or whatever you want to dip.
Recipe Notes
If you want to add a bit of spice to this stir in 1 tbls. crushed red peppers to the spinach mixture.
The recipe calls for Panko which is an Asian style breadcrumbs. If you can't find Panko you can substitute plain breadcrumbs instead.
You can prep this ahead of time. Store covered in the fridge and pop in the oven before serving, this may add a few minutes to the baking time depending on how cold it is.
If you must store leftover do so in an airtight container, and be sure you use it the next day. The longer it stays in the fridge the more watery it gets.
Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap – you will have to do this with 2-4 pieces at a time
Mix flour and garlic powder together and place in a shallow dish or bowl
Place in frying pan and fry both sides about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown
