Crab cake sandwiches

Whitney loves the State Farmers Market with its wide variety of cheap produce and other local businesses, so much so that she seems to forget that we are already subscribed to receive a box of produce every week from our CSA. One day she came home with ingredients for crab cake sandwiches and we got to work making use of our large stock of perishable foods.

Everything except condiments in this meal is from local farms and businesses. We used sweet potato from our Brinkley Farms CSA to make fries; crab from Locals Seafood; cabbage (for slaw), lettuce, and tomato from various NC Farmers Market vendors; and rolls from La Farm Bakery in Cary (sourced at the NC Farmers Market).

Maryland Crab cake Sandwich Inspiration from Bryan Voltaggio & Esquire
   For 2 sandwiches
Ingredients
3 Tbsp mayonnaise, preferably Duke's 
1 tsp Old Bay
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 ½ tsp lemon juice  
1 egg
2 scallions, minced  
2 drops Tabasco sauce
pinch of fine sea salt  
1/2 lb jumbo lump crabmeat, picked of fragments
1/3 cup cracker meal for breading  
1/3 cup clarified butter*
2 buns, toasted and buttered

Directions
   In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Old Bay, Worcestershire, mustard, lemon juice, eggs, scallions, Tabasco, and sea salt. Using a wire whisk, mix the ingredients together to incorporate evenly. Add the crabmeat by thirds and fold gently with a spatula to be sure the crab does not get broken up.
   Evenly coat the bottom of a baking dish with a generous dusting of the cracker meal, about ½ cup. Use an ice-cream scoop or a similar tool to divide crabmeat mixture into six or eight individual cakes. Place each crab cake in the cracker meal and dust with the remaining cracker meal, coating all sides. In a large frying pan, slowly heat the clarified butter. Use a candy thermometer to get it to 325 degrees, or stick the end of a chopstick into the butter — when it gives off a steady stream of bubbles, you're at 325.
   Using a slotted metal or other high-heat-resistant spatula and working one at a time, place each cake into the butter, leaving a half inch between them so the crab cakes brown evenly. Cook crab cakes on both sides in the clarified butter, about 6 full minutes per side, until golden brown. (If you need to cook in multiple batches, set your oven at the lowest temperature and insert a cooling rack over a baking sheet, to rest the crab cakes on.) Let cakes sit for a minute, and then transfer them to the buns. Top with tartar sauce.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries from Paula Deen
Ingredients
Olive Oil, for tossing
1 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced in 1/4-wide inch strips
1 tablespoon House Seasoning (salt, black pepper, garlic powder)
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Line a sheet tray with parchment. In a large bowl toss sweet potatoes with just enough oil to coat. Sprinkle with House Seasoning and paprika. Spread sweet potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet, being sure not to overcrowd. Bake until sweet potatoes are tender and golden brown, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Tartar Sauce
Combine dab of mayo, some chopped pickle relish, dash of white vinegar, dijon mustard, salt and pepper.

Serve crab cake on sandwich with tartar sauce, baked sweet potato fries, and slaw.