Crab cakes

There are many recipes for crab cakes, but this recipe for the freezer is particularly good for entertaining as it is cooked in the oven, so no frying smells coming out of the kitchen. This is a real bonus when you have Christmas guests and just want the smell of cinnamon, orange and pine and maybe mulled wine wafting around. Make these any size you wish for a brilliant canapé, starter or main.

Ingredients - makes approximately 16 canapé-sized or serves 2/3 as a starter or lunch with a salad.

For the crab cakes:

I00g white crab meat (1 tub of Seafood and Eat It)

Half small red chilli, finely chopped

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp Thai fish sauce

2 tsp finely chopped ginger

2 tbs finely chopped coriander

Zest of half a lime

25g fresh breadcrumbs

For the coating:

1 egg

Salt

Flour for dusting

Panko crumbs - approx 50g for canapé fish cakes and 25g for starter size. (I pulse them in a food processor to make them finer which is definitely better for the canapé size).

Sweet chilli sauce to serve

Method for crab cakes

Add a couple of pinches of salt to the egg and beat lightly (the salt helps to make the beaten egg more fluid and easier to work with).

Blot the crab with kitchen towel and then mix the 8 crab cake ingredients together.

Form 4/8 starter size crab cakes or 16 canapé sized.

Sprinkle with flour and then dip into the egg and then completely cover with the panko crumbs.

Chill or freeze at this stage.

To cook:

Preheat the oven to 220°c.

Heat a baking sheet, smear with 2tbs olive oil.

Place the frozen or chilled crab cakes on the baking sheet in the oil and then carefully flip over, so both sides are oiled.

Cook the full sized for 15 minutes