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1
Add all of the ingredients into a bowl except the crabmeat and canola oil, mixing well. Add crabmeat last, folding it in gently. Form this mixture into 8 (eight)crabcakes. Line a dinner plate with wax paper and place the crabcakes on it. Cover them with more wax paper and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
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2
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pour 2 ounces of canola oil into a large, heavy, nonstick (or aluminum) fry pan and heat it up on your stove, over medium-high heat until pan just begins to smoke. You really do need a very hot pan to get a good crust on the cakes, but keep a close eye on the pan when you heat it up. As you place the first cake in the pan, you should notice a loud sizzling sound. This means the pan is hot enough - if not remove the cake and wait a bit and try again.
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3
Quickly add the rest of the crabcakes and let them cook for 30 seconds. Take a spatula and, holding it upright and using only the tip, press down on each crabcake, making 3 left to right lines and 3 front to back lines (like making a tic tac toe pattern with extra lines). Otherwise, let the cakes cook undisturbed for a total cooking time of 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. You should have a medium/heavy brown crust on the bottom of the cakes.
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4
Turn the cakes over and repeat the procedure. When you have a nice medium/heavy crust on the other side, remove the pan from the stove and transfer the cakes to a heavy baking sheet. Put the baking sheet into the preheated oven and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Please note that if your fry pan has no plastic or rubber handle or other non-metal parts, you may omit the baking sheet and place the fry pan directly in the oven.
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5
If made correctly, this recipe is good enough to be a signature dish for all but the very best restaurants. There should be a nice contrast between the crunchy exterior and the creamy interior. By sauteing the cakes in a screaming hot pan you get a wonderful crust and the cakes do not stick to the pan.
