Easy Crab Cakes & Fries

A No-Fuss Meal for the Whole Family

The recipes for crab cakes and fries that follow are easy to make, and they're so tasty that even fussy children will love them. The crab patties require about 20 minutes of prep time and at least one hour to chill. While they're chilling, you can too--on the deck or on the couch. About 30 minutes prior to dinnertime, begin baking (or frying) the cold crab cakes and fries. If you intend to make the Easy BBQ Shrimp Bake recipe below as well, it too takes about 30 minutes to bake.

Crab cakes taste great alone or on a bun. If you're making sandwiches, potato rolls or King's Hawaiian rolls go particularly well with the naturally sweet taste of crab. Use crushed potato chips for saltier cakes. (Children seem to love those best.)

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 red or green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 C. crushed potato chips, saltines or breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 tsp. Worcestshire Sauce
• 1/4 tsp. Tabasco
• 1/4 tsp. hot dry mustard
• 1 lb. lump crab meat
• 1 scant cup mayonaise
• 1 egg, beaten

Instructions

1. Chop the onion and pepper. Saute about 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and add remaining ingredients. Mix gently to combine well.

3. Use a 1/4 C. measure or an ice cream scoop to form the crab cakes. Place them on a baking sheet.

4. Cover the cakes with plastic wrap and chill them for at least 1 hour.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until browned. If you'd like your crab cakes crustier, broil them for an additional 5 minutes.

Who says life has to be hard?

Thanks to frozen fries, this side dish takes about 25 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients

• Old Bay
• Cooking spray or olive oil
• Frozen steak fries

Instructions

Heat oven according to directions on bag of fries. Empty bag onto a jelly roll pan and spray the fries lightly with cooking spray. If you don't have cooking spray, drizzle them with olive oil. Then sprinkle liberally with Old Bay seasoning. Bake according to package directions.

For fries, cookies & other baked goods

Jelly roll pans have very short sides that keep fries, cookies & other baked goods from sliding off into the oven or onto the floor. Dark colored pans heat up more quickly than light ones, and they retain their heat longer.

Made from scratch

If time allows, why not make fries the old-fashioned way? Homemade steak fries may not be as uniform in appearance as frozen store-bought fries (especially if you slice them by hand) but they sure do taste good!

Ingredients

• 6-8 baking potatoes (well scrubbed)
• Olive oil
• Butter (optional)
• Old Bay seasoning

Instructions

1. First, scrub the potatoes well or peel them. Then slice them into wedges.

2. Place the wedges in a large bowl and cover them with hot water. Soak for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 425 degrees Farhenheit.

3. Drain the potatoes and dry them well with paper towels. (If they're wet, they won't brown.)

4. Grease a jelly roll pan with olive oil or a combination of olive oil and butter.

5. Toss the potato wedges in olive oil, and then spread them in the pan in a single layer.

6. Sprinkle generously with Old Bay seasoning.

7. Bake 30 to 45 minutes, turning once.

Fries aren't the only good accompaniment to crab cakes. Hush puppies, potato chips, cole slaw, and locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables also make perfect side dishes.

For a tasty seafood side, try the Easy BBQ Shrimp Bake recipe below.

This spicy seafood dish is even easier to make than crab cakes!

And like the crab cakes above, Easy BBQ Shrimp Bake takes approximately 30 minutes to cook.

It will serve four as an entree or eight as a side dish. And if you're expecting a larger crowd, the recipe for Easy BBQ Shrimp Bake is easy to double.

To make clean-up quick, line the baking pan with aluminum foil or use a disposable foil baking pan. You'll also need the following ingredients.

• 2 lbs. large shrimp, unpeeled
• 1 C. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1/2 C. catsup
• 1/4 C. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 1/2 tsp. rosemary
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed and diced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Old Bay seasoning

Step One

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F and rinse the shrimp well, allowing it to drain.

Step Two

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a microwavable bowl. Then add the remaining ingredients and stir.

Step Three

Finally, add the shrimp, turning to coat. Spread the shrimp mixture into a baking pan and cook about 30 minutes, stirring every 10.