Smo-Fried Crab Cakes with Smoked Garlic Tartar Sauce

For the crab cakes: In a sauté pan, melt 1 tbsp butter and olive oil together over medium heat. Sauté onions, celery, and red pepper until softened. Set aside to cool.

In a bowl, mix together the cooled sautéed vegetables, Old Bay, dried chives, egg yolk, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard. Gently fold in the lump crab meat, then carefully fold in the stiff beaten egg whites. Add in cracker crumbs, folding in 1/4 cup at a time until the mixture just comes together.

Form the mixture into 6-8 equal sized patties. Place them on a silicone mat-lined or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight, covered with plastic wrap.

Smoke the crab cakes at 225F (using a @traegergrills or similar) until they reach an internal temperature of 120F.

In a sauté pan, melt the remaining 2 tbsp of butter. Fry the crab cakes for 2-4 minutes per side until the internal temperature reaches 140-150F and they are golden brown. Serve with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.

For the Smoked Garlic Tartar Sauce: In a small bowl, mix all ingredients: 1 bulb smoked garlic purée, 3/4 cup @dukes_mayonnaise, 1 tbsp lemon juice & zest, 2 tbsp sweet relish, 1 tsp spicy brown mustard, and 2 tsp finely minced capers. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.