Since tomorrow's July Fourth, I thought I'd leave you with an all-American recipe you can easily add to your patriotic feast. I was in Cape May, NJ a few weeks ago and had some fantastic crab cakes at a place called Ugly Mug. Unlike a lot of crab cakes that are mostly bread and filler and barely any crab, these were huge and consisted of large chunks of sweet, juicy meat. Here's the recipe (it's easy!):

Ugly Mug Crab Cake

• 2 pounds jumbo lump crab meat (preferable Maryland)
• 4 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs (fine grind)
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1 egg
• 1/8 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 cup red and green peppers [the recipe didn't specify, but I'd finely dice them]
• 2 tsp whole milk
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp white pepper

1. For the grilled or sauteed version: Combine all the ingredients and mix gently by hand. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Form into 4-ounce cakes and lightly fry in a saute pan in 1/4-inch of vegetable oil. You can also grill them on a flat top grill or saute in a frying pan with cooking spray.

3. For the deep fried version: After combining all the ingredients and forming cakes, make an egg wash. Dredge cakes in the wash and coat with fine grind bread crumbs. Deep fry until golden brown.

Recipe and photo courtesy of the Ugly Mug Bar & Restaurant