I have no idea why it took me so long to share this recipe because I make it all the time.

Sometimes I make it just for me and eat every single crab cake.

No shame.

The original recipe that I used to use was actually for salmon and sweet potato cakes. I can’t remember where I found it but I can tell you that my family didn’t care for it. They thought the salmon version was a little bland.

So I came up with a crab version that has much more flavor and texture. These crab cakes are sweet and just a little spicy with a yummy crunch on the outside.

I think you guys will really like them.

This recipe is great for those busy nights when you don’t have a lot of time to make dinner. It only requires a handful of inexpensive and easy to find ingredients. And if you don’t like crab, you can just substitute chopped cooked shrimp or salmon.

I like to serve mine along side a big salad.

You can cook the sweet potato ahead of time too if you really want to save time.

Sweet Potato Crab Cakes

1 cup lump crab meat

1 sweet potato

1/2 cup corn *

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1 egg

2 tbsp mayonnaise

2 green onions – chopped

1 finely chopped pepper from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (optional)

juice of half a lemon

Directions

Peel and dice the sweet potato into cubes and boil them until tender. Then drain them and mash them up.

Once the sweet potatoes are mashed and cooled a little, add the remaining ingredients along with a little salt and pepper and mix until well combined.

Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs into a bowl. This is just to coat the patties, the measurement doesn’t have to be precise.

Scoop the mixture with your hand or an ice cream scoop, roll it into a ball, and flatten into a patty.

Gently place the crab cake into the bowl of panko and flip to coat. It helps if you use your hands to gently press the panko onto the crab cakes.

One you have your crab cakes formed and coated on each side with panko, place a skillet over medium heat and drizzle in a little olive or veg oil (whatever you have). You just want enough oil to coat the bottom, we’re not deep-frying here.

Let the crab cakes cook about 5 minutes per side until they’re golden brown and then drain them on paper towels.

I like to top the crab cakes with copious amounts of spicy mayo which I make by mixing about 1/4 cup of mayo, fresh lemon juice, 1 finely chopped chipotle pepper, and a teaspoon or two of the adobo sauce. A few dashes of regular hot sauce works too.

* I use frozen corn and just thaw it under warm water.