Call them meatballs or call them crab cakes. Either way, they’re an addictive hit. The succulent sweetness of crab is paired with classic Old Bay Seasoning, but it gets a texture twist with the addition of crunchy, salty potato chips. This is the perfect party snack or starter, and it can be thrown together and ready in under fifteen minutes. Serve these balls skewered with toothpicks, with our Classic Tomato Sauce (page 56) or with tartar sauce, or toss them with pasta and tomato sauce for a hearty seafood pasta.

　　

Ingredients

Makes about thirty 3/4-inch meatballs

　　2 tablespoons olive oil

　　1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for shells

　　1 1/2 cups crushed kettle-cooked potato chips

　　1/2 cup mayonnaise

　　1 large egg

　　1/4 cup bread crumbs

　　2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　Juice from 1/2 lemon

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Drizzle the olive oil into a 9 × 13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface. Set aside.

　　

Step 2

Combine the crabmeat, potato chips, mayonnaise, egg, bread crumbs, Old Bay seasoning, salt, and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.

　　

Step 3

Roll the mixture into round 3/4-inch balls, making sure to pack the mixture firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The balls should be touching one another.

　　

Step 4

Roast for 10 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through.

　　

Step 5

Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Meatball Shop Cookbook by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow with Lauren Deen. Copyright © 2011 by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Daniel Holzman is executive chef at The Meatball Shop. He is an alum of Le Bernadin, San Francisco's Fifth Floor, and Aqua, among other highly acclaimed restaurants. He attended the Culinary Institute of America, where he received a full scholarship from the James Beard Foundation.Michael Chernow runs the front-of-house operations and the beverage program at The Meatball Shop. He has worked extensively in restaurants in New York and Los Angeles. He is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, where he earned degrees in culinary arts and restaurant management. He and Holzman met as teenagers when they worked together as delivery boys at the New York vegan restaurant Candle Café. Needless to say, the vegan thing didn't really stick.Lauren Deen is the author of the New York Times bestselling Cook Yourself Thin series and Kitchen Playdates. She is an Emmy award—and James Beard award— winning television producer and director. She is currently executive producer of food(ography) on the Cooking Channel.