Crab Cakes with Orange-Butter Sauce

I've had many a crab cake in my lifetime. Every recipe is a little different. At restaurants there is usually a specialty sauce lightly drizzled over the crab cakes, making for a pretty presentation and for enhancing the flavor of the crab, but never before have I seen anything like the recipe I'm sharing with you today. Leave it to my Mother-in-law to find the one recipe that defies the normal...crab cakes lying in a pool of  orange butter sauce, simply AMAZING!!! This really was the best crab cake combo I've had, and on special occasions can be a wonderful appetizer or meal. Speaking of special occasions…

…today marks five years with my wonderful husband Michael. I won't bore you with the details, but I am so happy he picked me and I am blessed to have such wonderful memories and moments with him. I can only hope the next 5 years are just as good!

Crab Cakes with Orange-Butter Sauce

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For Crab Cakes:

1/4 cup milk

2 slices white bread

1 pound fresh crabmeat

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped red bell pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped pickled ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 cups panko

1/2 cup vegetable oil

For Orange-Butter Sauce:

1/2 cup orange zest (about 3 oranges)

1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup butter, chilled and cut into 1 inch pieces

To make the Crab Cakes:

Pour milk over bread in a small bowl.

Stir together crabmeat, mayonnaise, egg, red bell pepper, green onion, ginger, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Squeeze milk from bread, discarding excess milk. Add bread to crabmeat mixture and toss gently.

Shape mixture into 8 patties; dredge in breadcrumbs. Press additional breadcrumbs onto each cake. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot; add 4 patties and fry 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and patties. Place crab cakes on a large baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes.

To make the Orange-Butter Sauce:

Stir together orange zest, juice, salt, and pepper in a nonaluminum saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook over medium-high heat 25 minutes or until mixture is reduced to 1/4 cup. Remove from heat.

Gradually whisk butter into orange sauce. Serve immediately.

To Plate:

Spoon Orange-Butter Sauce evenly onto serving plates. Place crab cakes over sauce.

Source: The Coastal Living Cookbook, Oxmoor House, 2004