Homemade Crab Cake Scampi (Restaurant-Worthy)

Ingredients

• 8 ounces lump crab meat (crab cakes)
• 8 ounces special crab meat (crab cakes)
• 1 egg (crab cakes)
• 4 tablespoons mayonnaise (crab cakes)
• 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning (crab cakes)
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder (crab cakes)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (crab cakes)
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce (crab cakes)
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs (crab cakes)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil (scampi)
• 3 tablespoons butter (scampi)
• 1/2 cup white wine (scampi)
• 1/2 cup red onions (scampi)
• 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning (scampi)
• salt and pepper, to taste (scampi)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (scampi)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (scampi)
• 1 tablespoon parsley (scampi)
• 8 ounces thin spaghetti, cooked (angel hair also works)

How to Make It

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Whisk the egg, mayonnaise, Old Bay, garlic powder, and Dijon mustard together until evenly combined.
3. Gently fold in the lump and special crab meat, keeping the lumps intact.
4. Stir in the oyster sauce with a light whisk.
5. Fold in the bread crumbs.
6. Form the mixture into 2 large crab cakes (about 8 oz each) and place on a baking sheet.
7. Bake the crab cakes for 10-12 minutes at 450°F.
8. Heat the olive oil in a skillet.
9. Add the butter and keep it moving so it doesn't burn.
10. Pour in the white wine and cook it down until the sauce starts to thicken.
11. Add the red onions.
12. Stir in the Old Bay seasoning.
13. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
14. Add the minced garlic.
15. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
16. Add the parsley and stir until the sauce thickens.
17. Toss 8 ounces of cooked thin spaghetti in the scampi sauce.
18. Plate the scampi pasta and set the crab cakes on top.

Curtis's Tips

• Mix the crab in gently — try not to break up the lump crab meat, just give it a light whisk.
• Keep the butter moving in the skillet so it doesn't burn.
• Burn out the wine — cook the wine down until the sauce starts to thicken before adding the rest of the scampi ingredients.
• Noodle choice is up to you: I use thin spaghetti here, but angel hair is actually really good with this as well.
• For the crab cake mix, you can use 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce in place of the oyster sauce — either works as a savory umami binder.