Fiddle Version of Crab Cakes

photography Amy Albertson

You can use whatever kind of crab you like. I buy this at Trader Joe's

I used to buy some that came in a black can from Costco then

they switched to a kind packed in plastic and I don't care for it.

I bought it three times and it was bad.

Picture of fennel I snapped at the grocery store. Most

of the people who don't care for raw fennel have actually

liked the flavor of it when it is cooked.

photography Amy Albertson

Zest the Orange First and then cut off the peel

photography Amy Albertson

If I have a lot of citrus to segment then I use a pairing knife but

since it was only one orange I used my normal chefs knife.

A pairing knife goes a little quicker.

photography Amy Albertson

Pack crab tightly into measuring cups. You can also

form them by hand

photography Amy Albertson

Place on parchment lined baking sheet.

photography Amy Albertson

gently remove finished cakes from tray

photography Amy Albertson

Crab Cakes on Shaved Fennel Salad

I've made quite a few versions of crab cakes and realized that the version I was making was healthier than most because I don't like a lot of extra breading and filling because I really want to taste the crab. Then we experimented with baking them in the oven and they were delicious! At it saved a lot of time because they were all ready to go at once.

You can either make 13 of these or 26 hand-formed mini ones as hors d'eouvres. If you want to do the mini-ones than cut the fennel and onion even smaller. I wanted to have a accurate measurement so made the larger ones for calorie counting/point counting purpose. Mini ones are a half point and the larger ones are 1 point. They make a perfect first course or you could have two or three from them as a dinner entree.

I served them with a Shaved Fennel Salad. I just shaved the fennel very thin and then made a simple simple dressing with orange juice a little salt and pepper and chopped parsley. You could put a dash of vinegar if you want that. I do make quite a few sauces to go with crab cakes but so far everyone that ate these said there was so much flavor that they didn't need a sauce. Enjoy!

FIDDLE VERSION OF CRAB CAKES

Makes 12-13 crab cakes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup diced yellow onion

1 cup diced fennel,

pinch of kosher salt

1 pound premium crab meat

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs (potato starch can be substituted for gluten free)

1 tablespoon Light Best Foods Mayonnaise

Zest of one orange, optional

1/4 cup diced orange pieces (segment orange and dice, no membrane or pith)

2 egg whites, (potato starch can be substituted if egg allergy)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large skillet, saute onion and fennel in olive oil over medium high heat. Add pinch of salt. Turn eat to medium and continue cooking for about 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. If onion starts to brown to quickly add water to finish cooking process.

In a bowl combine the Crab, Panko Bread Crumbs, Mayonnaise, orange zest, diced orange pieces, egg whites, kosher salt and cayenne pepper. Add cooked onion and fennel mixture and combine all ingredients well.

Pack mixture into 1/4 cup measuring cup and place on parchment lined baking sheet. (You can also form them with your hands if you prefer.) Bake in 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until brown on top. Serve over shaved fennel salad.

1 point per crab cake. 69 Calories per cake. .53 grams of fiber, 8.78 grams of protein.

PS For those who want to splurge you can add extra mayonnaise and can still bread and pan fry these. They are good either way.

*The Points® values for these products and/or recipes were calculated by Maili and are not an endorsement or approval of the product, recipe or its manufacturer or developer by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the Points® registered trademark.