ATK Vol. 2: Crab cakes! (with fresh herb salad [if we were in England, we'd pronounce the h in herb])

For our second installment of the ATK recipe series, we present to you, dear readers, ATK's Crab Cakes with Herb Salad.

These were pretty delicious, but not quite as satisfying as we had hoped. They were a little heavy, both on the mayo and on the stomach. Not a disappointment, but they need a little bit of work. The fresh herbs in the crab cakes were delicious, and I thought the herb salad was quite nice, but I think it was a little too-herby for Chelsi. (She says, "It was good though.")

We thought it could be improved by lightening up the mayo, and using panko crumbs for either all or half of the saltines. It could probably use just a little bit more spice too, at least in the dipping sauce. There's a chance that I mixed the crab into the other ingredients with a little too much force - it'd probably be better to have larger chunks of crab instead of small, broken up pieces.

1 1/4 cups mayo

3 Tbs + 1 tsp lemon juice

1 Tbs hot sauce

1 Tbs finely chopped + 1 cup packed whole leaf cilantro

1 Tbs finely chopped + 1 cup packed whole leaf mint

1 Tbs finely chopped + 1/2 cup packed dill

1 Lb crab meat (we used 1/2 lb lump, 1/2 lb claw because lump is 'spensive)

1 Cup crushed saltine crackers

4 Scallions, white parts minced, green parts sliced thin

2 Tbs + 2 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Whisk Mayo, 3 Tbs lemon juice, hot sauce and chopped herbs

Reserve 1/2 cup for a dip/topping

Fold crab meat, saltines and scallion whites, and form into 4-5 three inch patties

Heat 2 Tbs oil in large skillet until just smoking

Cook cakes until golden brown, 4-5 minutes on each side

Toss whole herb leaves and scallion greens with remaining oil and lemon juice, add salt + pepper

Serve crab cakes, salad and side of sauce

(This post is by Jed, even though it says it's from both of us)