Imitation Crab Cakes

I have champagne taste on a beer budget.  But since I do not drink alcohol it is more like Martinelli's taste on a Big K soda budget.  I love seafood.  But living in a landlocked scrub desert such as Utah, good seafood is hard to come by... I take that back.  I can get good seafood in Utah, I just cannot afford it.  So I try to make due with less expensive products, like imitation crab meat.  Less than that.  Kroger brand imitation crab meat on sale because it is close to the expiration date.  Snatched that deal up in a heart beat.  Now, that is a luxury I can afford.   

Imitation Crab Cakes

16 oz crab meat (2 packages)

1 egg

1/4 cup mayonnaise

4 Green onions, chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tsp +/- lemon juice
4 Tbs +/- dry Bread crumbs
Flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Add seasonings, bread crumbs, and green onions to the crab meat and mix together.  Add egg, mayonnaise, and some lemon juice.  Mix that together.  If it is too soft add more bread crumbs, 1 Tbs at a time.  Form into flattened disks and refrigerate, wrapped in plastic wrap, for 30+ minutes, or overnight.  Dredge in flour and fry in vegetable oil over medium heat for 5 - 8 min per side (or until golden brown).  Serve hot.

Real crab meat is already flaky and fine.  Imitation crab meat comes in sheets that need to be broken up, so a food processor and a few quick pulses work great to get it to that same feathery texture.

Add the dry ingredients first.

Then wet.  Mix that together and determine if you need more bread crumbs for it to hold a shape.

Pinch off about 1/4 cup and mold into disks about 3 inches wide.

Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 min for the patties to firm.

Add your 1/4 cup of vegetable oil to a pan and heat to simmering.  Dredge crab cakes in flour, evenly coat all the sides, then fry 'em up.

About 8 min per side on my stove.

I just realized that these would make great Crabby Patty sliders for a Spongebob party.
Enjoy.