Choptank Crab Cake with Avocado Relish Recipe

For the Crab Cake: Mix mayonnaise, mustard and Old Bay together in a bowl. Carefully fold in crab meat to avoid breaking up the lumps. Add the chopped parsley and carefully fold in the breadcrumbs. Form into 3 ounce cakes. Keep chilled.

For the Avocado Relish: Cut avocados in half, remove stone and remove flesh from skin. Cut flesh into 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch dice, place in a bowl. Add onion, cilantro and lime juice to taste, mix together. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep chilled.

For the Aioli: Roast garlic cloves in a medium hot oven until soft and caramelized. Crush into a paste then mix into mayonnaise.

For the Red Chili Oil: Whisk oil and sauce together. Allow to stand for an hour, then strain.

For the Sweet Potato Haystack: Peel sweet potato, cut into thin noodles on a Japanese cutter. Soak in cold water then pat dry on a clean towel or kitchen paper.

Deep fry until light golden brown and crispy. Season with salt and store on top of kitchen paper.

To finish the dish:

Place a ring, about 3 inches diameter in the middle of each individual plate, fill with the avocado relish and press down lightly but firmly. Remove ring.

In the meantime, heat the clarified butter in a pan and fry the crab cakes until light golden in color, but hot all the way through. Place a crab cake on each relish circle.

Alternately spoon aioli and red chili oil on each plate and finish with a sweet potato haystack on top of each crab cake.