Just the right choice for a tasty crabcake

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For Two's Company cooks who don't live in a coastal area, crabmeat is more of a fantasy than a dinner ingredient. The options are either astronomically priced or a mediocre quality.

That's changing. Many supermarkets are offering reasonably priced pasteurized crabmeat available in one-pound cans at the fish counter.

Unlike the bland shelf-stable products sold elsewhere in the supermarket, this crabmeat is sweet and packed as big chunks that you can get your teeth into. This is the crab you'll want to use if you're making a festive meal for two.

Because the product is pasteurized, which means the crab is heated in the can to a temperature high enough to kill dangerous bacteria, it can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks. Once the can is opened, however, the crab should be eaten within a few days.

That's shouldn't be an obstacle if you're a crab lover.

Start with crab cakes, a delicate blend of crabmeat, seasonings and just enough bread crumbs to hold everything together. Follow that with an entree salad of crab, tomatoes and avocado. Or how about crabmeat sprinkled over steamed asparagus and topped with a little mayonnaise? The options are mouthwatering.

For the crab cake recipe given here, use pasteurized canned crab claws or flaked crabmeat. Don't substitute shelf-stable canned crab. If you need to make a switch, buy 8 ounces of raw, shelled shrimp and finely chop the shrimp before forming into cakes.

Crab cakes with avocado salsa

Avocado salsa (recipe follows)

½ pound flaked crabmeat