Now the next step, and it s an important one, is to chill the mix for about 2 hours unless you allow the mix to bind the cakes will fall apart in the pan. Finally, when you re ready to eat, take your hands and shape the mix into about a dozen 3-inch crab cakes. Serve them piping hot right from the skillet with tartar sauce and Louisiana Hot Sauce, alongside a small mountain of mashed potatoes and a Romaine and avocado salad. I recommend you use two spatulas to turn the crab cakes, and turn them gingerly. They come out so light and delicate that if you treat them too rough they ll literally fall apart.
Some recipes call for pan saut ing in pure butter.
Some suggest straight margarine. I recommend you use equal portions of margarine and butter butter for the taste and margarine to raise the saut ing temperature. To get the recipe to come out right, the ingredients must be chilled for 2 hours. But that s the minimum amount of time. It s actually possible to prepare the cakes a day in advance and keep them refrigerated until time to saut .