Recipe: Grandma Sparks's Maryland Crab Cakes

GRANDMA SPARKS'S MARYLAND CRAB CAKES

"My grandmother, who lived her entire life just outside Baltimore, was a great cook, and these crab cakes were mainly responsible for burnishing her culinary reputation. You will be forgiven, dear reader, for thinking that the Sparks clan is obsessed with mayonnaise. And you may be right-so many of my family's culinary treasures use this humble but essential ingredient. We're a little particular about it too-unless you are willing to make your own, only Hellman's (not Hellman's Light-the real thing) will do. These crab cakes also depend on finding the freshest lump crabmeat."

1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked over gently for any stray shells or cartilage
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Colman's dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 slices fresh bread, crusts removed, diced into very small cubes
Butter (for sauteing)
fresh lemon (for serving)

Carefully mix all of the crab cake ingredients together in a large bowl. Don't break up the crabmeat; big cunks are so much more satisfying to eat. When your crab cake batter is thoroughly mixed, let it rest for several hours in the refrigerator - this allows the bread cubes to soak up the moisture from the crab so they won't fall apart in the pan.

WHEN YOU'RE READY TO SERVE THEM:
Shape your cakes into any size you wish-large ones for lunch, or tiny ones for hors d'oeuvres.

Heat a nonstick or heavy-bottomed skillet, add a generous amount of butter, and saut the cakes over medium heat until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.

We serve our crab cakes with just a squeeze of lemon.

Serves 6 (makes about 8-12 small cakes)
Excerpted from Sparks in the Kitchen by Katy Sparks with Andrea Strong
Copyright 2005 by Katy Sparks with Andrea Strong. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.