Crab Cakes with Roasted Pepper-Chive Aioli

CRAB CAKES:

12 ounces shelled cooked crab (chilling crab meat before mixing it is the secret to great crab cakes)
1/4 cup finely diced celery
minced fresh chives
mayonnaise
1 large egg
2 teaspoons creamy Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce/tabasco
Panko (Japanese-style coarse bread crumbs), or fine dried bread crumbs
2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 cup chopped, drained canned roasted red peppers
2 teaspoons (or half a lemon) lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Sort through crab and discard any bits of shell. In a large bowl, combine celery, 1/4 cup minced chives, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, egg, mustard, Old Bay seasoning and hot sauce. Mix well. Add crab and 1/4 cup Panko. Stir gently just to mix.
Put 1 cup Panko in a shallow bowl. Shape crab mixture into approximately 24 cakes, each about 2 inches wide, half an inch thick. Turn each cake in Panko to coat on all sides, pressing gently to make crumbs adhere. Place cakes slightly apart in an oiled baking pan.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until it turns golden brown.
Transfer crabs to a serving platter.

ROASTED PEPPER-CHIVE AIOLI:

In a small bowl, mix 1/3 cup mayonnaise, roasted red peppers, 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives, lemon juice, and garlic.
Makes about 1/2 cup.

Spoon a dollop of Roasted Pepper-Chive Aioli onto each cake. Garnish platter with fresh chives, cut into 1-inch lengths.
Serve hot.