Spicy Crab Cakes with Sweet Red Pepper Aioli

I came across a recipe for Crab Cakes while shopping in Harris Teeter last week. I have never made crab cakes before, and thought that it may be something fun to try! This recipe also came with a home-made aioli recipe, which was easy to make and really added flavor to the crab cake.
It actually didn't take as long as I expected. Dinner was ready to eat in about 30 minutes from preparation to cooking.

Spicy Crab Cakes with Sweet Red Pepper Aioli

What you will need:

 For the aioli:

•  2/3 cup mayo (I used light mayo)
• 1/4 cup red jalapeno jelly (2 tbsp in Aioli and 2 tbsp in the crab cake) (okay I didn't know they made jelly out of jalapenos until I saw this recipe. Surprisingly enough, I did find it in the jelly aisle of the grocery store)
• 1 tablesppon lemon juice
• Salt and ground pepper to taste

For the Crab Cake:

• 1 tablespoon Nakano Roasted Garlic Seasoned Rice Vinegar (you can use regular seasoned rice vinegar here, the roasted garlic vinegar adds additional flavor)
• 1/4 cup red pepper, minced
• 1/4 cup onion, minced
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil, for cooking (I used the Olive Oil instead of butter)

What to Do:

1.  In a small bowl, combine the mayo, 2 tablespoons jalapeno pepper jelly, and lemon juice and mix well. Add salt and pepper (to taste). Set aside (I made this a few hours ahead and refrigerated).
2. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons jalapeno pepper jelly, rice vinegar, red pepper, onion, egg (beaten), black pepper and bread crumbs. Mix together well.
3. Add Crab meat to mixture and mix well. Season with salt to taste, if desired. Form mixture into crab cakes (4-8 depending on how large or small you wish to make them).
4. Dip each crab cake into additional bread crumbs before cooking, if desired.
5. In a large skillet, melt butter (pr oil) over medium-low heat. Cook crab cakes in batches if necessary. Cook 3-5 minutes per cake per side or until slightly browned on the top and bottom.
6. Serve alone or with bread. Serve with Red Pepper Aioli sauce.

Enjoy!