Summer is fast approaching. It’s a great season to make shellfish and seafood meals for a nice early evening outdoor dinner. When we have been at the beach, I have always looked forward to visiting local seafood shops.

Fishing areas are usually where little town fish markets are lined up for tourists to find great dinner ideas. Locals usually run these shops and are sometimes full of stories about catching the fish.

A favorite hobby of mine while on vacation is to compare what each shop has in the case and to check out the price comparisons from store to store. I usually ask what their fresh catch of the day is. Because we are a large family, I would try to select the freshest fish or shellfish while watching the cost.

If we rented a house with a kitchen, I would then bring back a great saltwater find from the local fish shop to prepare for a nice sit-down evening meal for our family.

A popular plate listed on many summer restaurant menus especially at the beach are fresh crabcakes. However, any time of the year and especially for a special occasion is a good time to try out seafood recipes like crabcakes. I like making crabcakes, with jumbo lump crabmeat and a few easy-to-find ingredients.

If you have access to a local fish market near your house, why not pay them a visit or call them to inquire if they have a container of fresh lump crab meat. Perhaps they may have some fresh crab meat loose in their window case for you to see and purchase. You do not need a lot of crab.

Some restaurants will even have a small shop attached where you can take home your favorite items such as crab from their menu dishes.

If you have never made crabcakes, I invite you to try out my recipe. These cakes are so flavor-packed, fresh, light, summery and delectable. The lump crab meat shines in this recipe. You want to taste more of the crabmeat.

Therefore, I have made these crabcakes with a only a few simple ingredients possibly found in everyone’s pantry.

Don’t fresh homemade crabcakes with a savory or spicy dipping sauce, cocktail sauce or salted drawn butter sound like a perfect way to end a long, busy week? If you like shellfish, try these cakes this summer.

I am all about supporting businesses. However, I have found for a large family like us to go out for crabcakes, it simply is just not cost efficient. Therefore, we eat them at home, making fresh crabcakes not frozen from the store.

I hope you can find some time to relax and to talk around your table, enjoying a nice elegant meal of something tasty from the sea.

Baltimore-Style Crabcakes

2 2-pound cans of jumbo lump crabmeat

¾ cup of plain panko breadcrumbs

2 eggs, room temperature

½ cup of mayonnaise

2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 teaspoon of yellow mustard

½ teaspoon of mustard powder

1½ teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce

1½ teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning plus extra for top

Unsalted butter, melted

Fresh lemon wedges

In a large mixing bowl, combine your eggs, mayonnaise, seasonings and parsley together first. I gently fold in the two cans of crabmeat and mix all together. Fold in the panko breadcrumbs next, being careful not to break up the lumps of crab. Portion your crabcakes into eight equal crabcakes. Place each crabcake into a baking dish of your choice.

Drizzle with butter and sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning. If you have to make these crabcakes ahead of time, you can store these crabcakes overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, set the crabcakes out and let to come to room temperature before baking.

When you are ready to bake the cakes, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake them for 10 to 15 minutes. Next, turn the broiler on and broil the crabcakes, watching them until they turn golden on top. Serve with lemon wedges, refreshing homemade cocktail sauce (see recipe) or butter on a bed of your favorite greens and your favorite sides.

For the photo here, I chose an oven-roasted potato medley and homemade coleslaw.

Simple Cocktail Sauce

1 cup of ketchup

2 tablespoons of fresh white horseradish

Hot sauce, your favorite, to taste

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together. Taste for salt and pepper. Chill in the refrigerator in a small serving bowl until ready to serve with your crabcakes.

Sarah Schweitzer is dual-certified in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry from the Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. She is a sous chef at Ateira’s on First. She can be reached at sarah.schweitzer18@gmail.com.