Remember the crab meat from the Shrimp & Crab Meat Pasta? I bought a 1 lb can of lump crab meat from the seafood deli at my local supermarket. I used only a half of a cup for the pasta recipe…and since crab meat must be used up within a day once opened, I used the remaining crab meat for these flavorful sandwiches! I first had crab cakes at one of our favorite local restaurants, A’Pizze Tuscan Grill. The owner Memo was a great guy and made his with cream cheese. Unfortunately the restaurant closed. Although I don’t have his recipe, I decided that since I loved those crab cakes I would design my own using cream cheese. These ended up being so good that even the one son who is not a big fan of fish or seafood thought they were delicious! Topped with a tangy ranch relish and served on ciabatta rolls they are just so yummy!!  

Crab Cake Sandwiches
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 egg
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash fresh ground pepper
16-20 crackers, crushed (I used Club crackers but Ritz would be good too!)
1 1/2 cups lump crab meat (12 oz)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 Ciabatta rolls
Tangy Ranch Relish (recipe below)

In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, egg, cream cheese, lemon zest, salt, pepper, crackers and crab meat. Shape into four large rounds. In a large skillet, heat the oil and butter and sauté the shallots and garlic on medium heat for a few minutes. Add the crab cakes and cook for 3-4 minutes until nicely browned.

Carefully flip crab cakes over and cook on second side 3-4 minutes until nicely browned.

Remove from heat and place on a ciabatta bun. Top with Tangy Ranch Relish and lettuce & tomato, if desired.

Tangy Ranch Relish
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons ranch dressing
2 tablespoons sweet relish

Enjoy!

Linda~