Begin by squeezing any excess moisture out of the crabmeat (do
this as gently as you can). Then, with your fingers, feel for shell as
you place the crabmeat into a bowl without breaking it up. You
want nice chunks of crab.
In a large bowl, combine the mustard, mayo, Aleppo pepper,
chives, egg, egg yolk, lemon zest, and lemon juice with a big rubber
spatula. Taste the crabmeat at this point: if it was cooked in a
salty brine, you won’t need to add salt to the dish. If the crab isn’t
particularly salty, though, add some salt to the mayo mixture.
Taste for seasoning.
Add three quarters of the mayo mixture to the crabmeat and stir
gently to combine. You want a good ratio of crab to mayo; if it
looks too dry, add more mayo mixture.
Pour the panko bread crumbs into a shallow pie plate. Gently
shape the crab into mediumsize patties, coat each patty with the
panko, and remove to a plate. Continue until you run out of crab.
Refrigerate the crab cakes for 4 hours; this will help them hold
together*.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Heat an ovenproof sauté pan (don’t use nonstick) on medium
heat. Add butter or a splash of canola oil and, when it’s good and
hot, add as many crab cakes as you can without crowding the pan
or lowering the heat too much.
Cook until golden brown on one side, about 3 minutes, and then
flip. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 5 minutes, or until the
crab cake is set. If you want to use a thermometer, you know it’s