CRABCAKES WITH RAVIGOTE SAUCE - Appetizer

The restaurant serves the cakes atop ravigote sauce or a maque choux, depending on the season. Recipes for both sauces follow the crab cake recipe.

Mr. B's Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes
Makes 8 cakes

1 pound jumbo lump crab meat, with shells cleaned out

1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced fine

1/2 medium green bell pepper, diced fine

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

3 scallions, sliced thin

Juice of 1/4 lemon

1/4 teaspoon Crystal hot sauce

1/4 teaspoon Creole seasoning

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Ravigote sauce (See recipe below)

Or

Maque choux (See recipe below)

In large bowl combine crabmeat, bell peppers, mayonnaise, breadcrumbs, scallions, lemon juice, hot sauce and Creole seasoning. Toss gently, being careful not to break up crabmeat lumps.

Using round cookie cutter (2-1/2 inches by 1 inch), fill cutter with mixture and form into cakes. Place on baking sheet. Chill cakes, uncovered, 1 hour to help set.

Combine flour, salt, and pepper on a plate and lightly dust cakes in flour.

In a large skillet melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add half of cakes and cook over moderate heat until golden brown, about 1-1/2 minutes each side. Cook the remaining cakes in the same manner.

Serve cakes with ravigote or maque choux, if desired.

"This sauce is New Orleans through and through," McRaney said. "It can be served with all sorts of seafood -- boiled shrimp and crab, crawfish, fried oysters, and crab cakes."

Ravigote Sauce
Makes 1-1/2 cups

2-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 1/4 cups mayonnaise

1/2 red bell pepper, diced fine

1/2 large Anaheim chile pepper or green bell pepper, diced fine

1 hard-boiled egg, diced

1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley

2-3/4 teaspoons prepared horseradish

1-1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3/4 teaspoon dried tarragon

3/4 teaspoon hot sauce

Kosher salt, to taste

White pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl whisk together lemon juice and dry mustard. Whisk in mayonnaise, bell pepper, chile, egg, parsley, horseradish, mustard, tarragon, hot sauce, salt, and pepper.