Baby Crab Cakes

1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts
*1/2 cup coarse cracker crumbs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeño pepper
1 shallot, peeled and minced
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 ounces lump crabmeat, carefully picked over to remove shell and cartilage fragments
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
round tortilla chips
salsa or guacamole for garnish

In a medium bowl, combine the chopped artichoke hearts, cracker crumbs, mayonnaise, egg, jalapeño pepper, shallot, garlic, cilantro, mustard, and cayenne; stir to combine. Gently fold in the crabmeat — do not over mix or break up the crab lumps. Shape into 20 mini crab cakes using a slightly rounded tablespoon as a measure. Place shaped crab cakes on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in the MultiClad Skillet over medium high heat. When bubbly, add 10 crab cakes and cook about 2 to 3 minutes per side, until crispy and browned. To serve, place a crab cake on a chip and garnish with a small dollop of salsa and/or guacamole.

*Drain canned artichokes well before chopping. Crabcakes can be made even smaller - use a half tablespoon measure and serve on mini round corn chips. Blue corn chips make a nice accompaniment. Crabcakes can be made larger to serve as a meal. Use about 2-1/2 tablespoons crab mixture to form 8 crabcakes. Serve 2 crabcakes per portion.