Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/2 cup minced green bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning (such as Old Bay®)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco®)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups light cream
• 1 pound crab meat
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 cup corn oil, or as needed

Instructions

1. Melt margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion and green bell pepper in margarine until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir mustard, Worcestershire sauce, seafood seasoning, salt, hot pepper sauce, black pepper, and cayenne pepper into the onion mixture. Sprinkle flour over the mixture; stir to integrate. Pour cream over the mixture; bring to a boil, stirring constantly and cook for 1 minute. Fold crab meat into the mixture.
2. Spoon some of the liquid from the skillet into the bowl with the beaten egg yolks to temper the egg; stir. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and stir. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.
3. Transfer crab mixture to a bowl; refrigerate until chilled completely, about 1 hour.
4. Mix bread crumbs, melted butter, and paprika in a shallow bowl.
5. Divide the crab mixture into 4 portions; form into patties. Gently press the patties into the bread crumb mixture to coat.
6. Pour enough corn oil into a flat-bottomed pan to be 1-inch deep; heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
7. Cook patties in hot oil until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side.