Starter- Crab Cakes

Panko lends these crab cakes a nice, crunchy crust. These cakes are large enough to serve as a main dish, but you also can form smaller appetizer cakes. 1.. Preheat broiler. 2. To prepare mayonnaise, cut bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet, flatten with hand. Broil 12 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag, seal. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel pepper. Place pepper, 1/3 cup mayonnaise, garlic, and hot pepper sauce in a food processor. Process until smooth, transfer to a bowl, and chill. 3. To prepare crab cakes, combine 1/3 cup mayonnaise and next 6 ingredients (through crab) and 3/4 cup panko in a large bowl, stir until well combined. Form into 6 patties, dredge patties in remaining 1/2 cup panko. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 patties to pan, cook 10 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through, turning once. Remove from pan, and keep warm. Repeat "procedure with remaining butter and patties. Serve crab cakes with water-cress and red pepper mayonnaise. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired. Yield; 6 servings (serving size; 1 crab cake, about 1 1/2 cups watercress, and about 1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise). The sweet, succulent flavor of crab is lovely with a crisp, dry white that's clean and pure tasting. One of my favorites is albarino from the northwestern corner of Spain. Nora Albarino 2004 from Rias Baxais ($16) is zesty,'with a hint of citrus, starfruit, and dried peach.