From the Llama Recipe File

Synergy--that's what the Llamas have to offer! Rob's the erudite, witty one: I'm the Jack Falstaff on airplane glue one (or, as INDC Bill put it in an email, "Steve, never forget: Rob's the meat, you're just the parsley!")

Anyhoo, here's my addition to the new Llama Recipe Category: Llamabutcher Crabcakes.

These crabcakes are fabulous, if you don't mind me saying so. They are also not-fried, but rather grilled, and are that much better.

What you need:

16 oz Fresh lump crabmeat ---if you can, get it fresh rather than frozen. They're usually sold in 8 oz containers, so get two---life's too short not to eat plenty of crabcakes
3 eggs
1 tsp butter, melted
1 tbsp mayo (add some horseradish to it if you like)
1 sleeve of Saltines, mashed
1 cup of Goldfish crackers, mashed (we used the special red and blue 4th of July ones which worked very well--very festive)
Chesapeake seasoning, pinch
1 squirt of Tobasco (optional)
Half an onion, finely diced
Half a bell pepper, finely diced (preferably red or yellow, for the sweetness and the color)

Here's how you make it:

Mix the eggs, butter, and mayo in a large mixing bowl; this is the binding to keep the cakes together, and there's nothing worse than having them crumble apart while cooking.
Add the saltines (I hand mash them, but that's just me, Mr. Vegas) and the goldfish; these also are part of the binding. Mush it all together by hand.
Add the pepper and onion pieces.
Fold in the crabmeat, mixing it by hand (mushing it is more like it)
Sprinkle the spices, mush together some more.

When it's ready, form into cake patties about the size of your palm and about as thick as the first joint of your index finger---you don't want them to be too thick to insure that they cook evenly. The above recipe should make about 10-12, depending on the size of your palm.

Cook them on the grill outdoors--make sure you are cooking on a surface like tin foil and not directly on the grill. The grill should be medium to hot (I crank the grill all the way to hot, get it good and warm, and then let it cool off a bit, but then again I am a propane Philistine). They'll take a good while to cook, and you want them to be very firm on all sides (break open one with a fork if necessary to test). Depending on the heat, it should take 20-30 minutes. Flip them mid way through, of course.

Serve them with a tartar sauce (we prefer a mayo with horseradish and red relish), lemon, or whatever suits your fancy. They go perfectly with sweet corn and coleslaw.

Let us know if you try it!