Maryland Crab Cakes

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/4 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning, divided
3/4 teaspoon fresh chopped tarragon
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 T finely chopped celery
1/4 pound (scant 2 cups) crustless cubed white bread (about 1/4 loaf), cut into small cubes
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat, drained of any liquid
2 T butter, at room temperature

* * * * * * *

Ingredients for mustard mayonnaise:
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
a small amount of dry mustard
Dijon mustard
Worcestershire sauce
salt
thinned with a little cream

Preparing the crab cakes:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, three-fourths teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning, tarragon, onion and celery to make a dressing.

In a large mixing bowl, toss the bread with half of the dressing, mixing until the dressing is absorbed by the bread and the cubes are slightly broken up. Add additional dressing if the cubes are too dry.

Gently mix in the crab, being careful not to break up the lump pieces. The mixture should hold its shape when formed into a ball with your hand. If it is too dry, add additional dressing until the mixture comes together. You might not use all of the dressing.

Divide the mixture and form into 8 crab cakes. Place the cakes on a greased cookie sheet or sheet pan.

In a small bowl, stir the butter together with the remaining one-half teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning. Top each cake with a small dollop of the seasoned butter.

Bake the cakes until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Serve warm with mustard mayonnaise or tartar sauce.

Makes 8 crab cakes