Southern Crab Bites

I love these for a meal or as appetizers !

Ingredients:

•1 lb blue crab meat or any good-quality crab meat (cooked)

•2 large eggs

•1 cup real mayonnaise

•2 tbsp Creole mustard or, coarse grain mustard

•2 tsp fresh lemon juice

•1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions

•1/4 cup finely diced red onion

•1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt

•1/2 tsp black pepper

•Pinch cayenne pepper

•1 cup Panko bread crumbs

•Canola or vegetable oil for frying

•1 cup White Remoulade Sauce (Recipe Below)

Directions:

1. Put the crab meat in a bowl and use your hands to pick the meat free of any shells. Do this at least twice.

2. In a medium bow, whisk the eggs until they're light and foamy and then whisk in the mayonnaise and mustard.

3. Use a spoon to stir in the lemon juice, scallions, red onion, salt, black pepper, and cayenne.

4. Fold in the Panko and then gently fold in the crab meat so it doesn't get broken up from too much mixing. The batter should be just thick enough to barely hold together when frying. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to help it firm up further.

5. In a large, deep skillet or pot, heat 2 inces of canola oil to 350° F.

6. Using 2 medium-sized spoons, drop a few spoonfuls of the crab mixture at a time into the oil and fry until a nice golden brown color forms on the outside, 1 to 2 minutes.

7. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bites to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining batter, frying in batches so as not to crowd the pan.

8. You can keep the cooked bites warm in a 200° F oven, if desired.

9. Serve with White Remoulade Sauce.

WHITE REMOULADE SAUCE