Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 6 slices firm white sandwich bread, crusts discarded
• 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat, picked over
• 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves, washed well, spun dry, and chopped
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning*
• 1 jalapeño chili, or to taste, seeded and chopped fine (wear rubber gloves)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• chili mayonnaise or mayonnaise flavored with mustard or horseradish
• *available at seafood and specialty foods shops and some supermarkets

Instructions

1. In a skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté bell peppers until softened. Cool peppers. In a food processor grind bread into fine crumbs.
2. In a bowl stir together bell peppers, crab, coriander, mayonnaise, Old Bay seasoning, jalapeño, garlic, 2 tablespoons bread crumbs, black pepper, and salt to taste until combined well and chill 20 minutes.
3. With a 2-ounce ice-cream scoop or 1/4-cup measure, scoop crab mixture into 8 portions and pat each into 3/4-inch-thick disk. Spread remaining bread crumbs on a sheet of wax paper and gently press each crab cake into them, turning it, to coat evenly. To help prevent crumbling during cooking chill crab cakes, covered loosely, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
4. Preheat oven to 375°F.
5. In a 12-inch skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté half of crab cakes until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn crab cakes carefully and brown other sides. Transfer sautéed crab cakes carefully to a baking sheet. Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet and sauté remaining crab cakes in same manner. On baking sheet bake all crab cakes 6 minutes, or until heated through.
6. Serve crab cakes with mayonnaise.