Wolfgang Puck's Crab Cakes

I always make the same crab cakes recipe, which is pretty good, but I wanted to try something new for variety. These weren't any more difficult than other crab cake recipes and they were really delicious. I loved the ground almonds in the breading, which helped make them nice and crispy. Of course, these aren't very healthy but they're worth it when you want to have a caloric splurge! Wolfgang Puck has a sweet red bell pepper sauce to accompany them but I found spicy remoulade sauce at Central Market and used it instead. Don't judge - I have a nine month old to take care of in addition to cooking dinner every night! (I halved the recipe and it still made seven large crab cakes. Also, to save some money, I substituted dried herbs for fresh.)

Crab Cakes

Adapted from Live, Love, Eat! The Best of Wolfgang Puck

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely diced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely diced

1/2 red onion, finely diced

1 c heavy cream

1/2 t jalapeno, finely chopped

2 t chopped fresh chives

2 t chopped fresh dill

2 t chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

leaves from 2 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 t salt

1/8 t cayenne pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 c fresh bread crumbs

1 c finely ground almonds

1 1/4 lb fresh crabmeat

2 T unsalted butter

2 T vegetable oil

In a 10-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the red and yellow peppers and onion until onion is translucent and peppers are tender, about 8-10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer veggies to a large bowl. Let cool.

To the skillet, add cream and jalapeno and simmer until 1/2 c cream remains. Transfer cream mixture to veggie bowl to cool. Stir in the herbs and spices. Stir in the egg and 1/2 c each of breadcrumbs and almonds. Gently fold in crabmeat. On a plate, stir together remaining breadcrumbs and almonds.

With your hands, shape crab mixture into cakes. Dip both sides into crumb mixture to coat it well. Place cakes on a tray, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a large skillet, heat butter and oil together over medium heat. Place half the crab cakes in the skillet and cook them until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then to a covered baking dish in oven to keep warm.