Crab Cake Sliders with Remoulade Sauce

Just once in a lifetime, when you very least expect it, a good and true friend comes along. That is my friend Hallie. We came into each others life back when our kids dated in high school. Long after our beloved children paved their own and separate paths in life, our friendship continues to flourish. She has come to my aid more times than I can count. She makes me laugh my head off every time I see her (which is not nearly often enough) and our madcap adventures sustain me through the boring times when I have no adventures at all. In short, she brings joy and laughter to my life! So when she asked for my crab cake slider recipe, I was only too happy to comply. I only wish I could cook it and serve it up to her in the elegant style that she entertains me in, always with a magnificently set table, a welcome and comfortable home, and just for a special treat, once in a while she brings in her brother Jim, the talented chef that is always happy to cook a fabulous meal for all of us girls!

So let's get some crab cake on. You'll need:
Some of those little dinner buns you see in the bakery section. The small ones you serve at Thanksgiving dinner. Plan on at least 2 per person. Maybe 3.
1 pound of crab meat. This will make about 8 -10 small crab cakes. If you can't get fresh crab meat, you can use canned (won't be as good, but desperate times call for desperate measures). But at least buy the good stuff that's about $5.00 a can, and you'll need 3 of them. The Lump crab meat. But do try at least to get fresh since we're not running a canned soup casserole blog here.
10-12 salted saltine crackers, smashed up small to crumbs (and maybe a few more)
2 eggs
1/4 cup of real mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning
freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
a bit of lemon zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
a dash or two of tobacco sauce

Mix all of the ingredients together except the  cracker crumbs and crab until it's smooth and creamy. Add the cracker crumbs and crab. If it feels too loose to form it into a little cake, add a bit more cracker. But don't make it too tight because we're going to chill these for a couple of hours and the cracker crumbs will suck up a lot of the moisture. So if they hold together loosely, but not sloppily so, then don't add the extra crackers. Capiche? Hahaha this recipe takes a bit of practice!

Form them into little cakes the size of your little dinner rolls. Cover and chill them for at least two hours. Then just fry them up in a medium heat pan with a bit of vegetable oil about 4 minutes per side, so they're golden brown and crispy.

There are hundreds of variations on a remoulade sauce, but I like this one I make:
1/4 cup of real mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped red or sweet onion
1/4 cup of finely chopped red pepper
1 tablespoon of finely chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of capers
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
zest and juice of 1/2 a lime
pinch of salt and pepper

Put a bit of this sauce on each bun (like a Big Mac) and crab cake. And Voila! Great party food or just if you want to have dinner with your best friend. Serve with cole slaw and fries. Or whatever you like. Enjoy friends!