Karen's Crab Cakes with Lemony/Tarragon Sauce

These are a nice and easy appetizer that are a terrific starter for any holiday meal or double the recipe and serve as a delicious main course. These can be made in advance and refrigerated, or you can even freeze them.  

This recipe makes 6 appetizer sized crab cakes.

What you’ll need for the crab cakes:

1 pound of lump crab meat 

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 package of Old Bay Crab Cake Mix

Non-Stock Spray

Plain Bread Crumbs (or Panko)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake on middle rack for about 25 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

If you have frozen the crab cakes in advance, bake at 325 degrees on a lower oven rack for about 10 minutes and then move the crab cakes to the middle rack, raise oven temperature to 375 and bake for 25 minutes.

Lemon/Tarragon Sauce:

1 package Knorr Bearnaise Sauce

Half and Half (you may use whole milk)

1/4 TSP French Tarragon leaves

1/4 TSP dried onion flakes

1/4 TSP garlic powder

1 TBS butter

1/4 cup Fresh lemon juice (you can use squeeze lemon also)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Pinch of sugar

In small sauce pan, slowly melt the butter making sure not to burn.

Add the garlic powder, onion flakes and tarragon leaves.

Add the half and half and stir.

Whisk in the bernaise mix until all is blended.

Add the lemon juice.  If too tart, add pinch of sugar and continue to whisk. 

Add optional white wine.

You may need to add more half & half if mixture is too thick - the finished sauce should be 

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Optional:  you can whisk in a small amount of white wine which adds a little touch of acidity to the sauce.

Place sauce in middle of plate to form a circle. Add crab cake on top. Add a spoon of sauce over the crab cake.  Make the plate festive by using your favorite garnish.

This is a wonderful pairing with our Dalla Gasperina Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc from Rutherford.