This post appears in the What Dish Are You Famous For? challenge.

Simple and elegant, crab cakes are perfect for holiday entertaining. High quality fresh crabmeat is available in eight-ounce containers in many supermarkets these days and is often on sale around the holidays. The best crab cakes contain only enough of a binder (crushed saltine crackers are used here), to hold the crabmeat together. Gentle tossing with a fork will prevent breaking up the pieces of crabmeat.

It seems fussy to insist on fresh parsley, but when working with a pricey ingredient like fresh crabmeat, fresh parsley makes a world of difference. These delicate crab cakes are broiled. The touch of butter placed on top of the cakes before broiling gives them a lovely nutty flavor as it browns and keeps the cakes moist.

Serve two of these crab cakes as a main course per person or smaller ones as an appetizer.

Broiled Crab Cakes
1 lb fresh (not canned) crabmeat
10 saltine crackers, crushed
2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons finely minced peppedew or pimiento peppers
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
¼ tsp Old Bay seasoning
2 tsp very soft butter

Place all of the ingredients, except the butter, in a large bowl. With a fork, very gently toss the ingredients together until just blended being careful to avoid breaking up the crabmeat too much.

Gently form into 6 slightly rounded cakes and place on a non-stick baking sheet (non-stick aluminum foil works great here). This can be done up to a day in advance and refrigerated, covered, until ready to cook.

Preheat broiler on it’s lowest setting. Gently spread softened butter on each cake and broil until golden brown and hot throughout. Let sit for 5-10 minutes minutes before carefully removing the cakes from the baking sheet with a spatula.

Serves 3 as a main course or 6 as an appetizer.