Aside from eating them steamed or with black and bean sauce, crabs are also my absolute favorite patties. This recipe, adapted from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, is the perfect combination of Greek tzatziki and North-African-slash-Spanish crab cakes. Top them off with a delicious harissa mayonnaise, and you have on your plate the perfect little crab burgers.

Ingredients: (makes 12 sliders)

One (14.4 ounce) can chickpeas beans, drained

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped cilantro leaves

2 scallions, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, from 1 lemon

1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, chopped fine (optional)

1 garlic clove, peeled and grated on microplane or passed through garlic press

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 pound fresh picked lump blue crab meat

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 fennel bulb, cored, and thinly sliced on a mandoline

1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon

1/2 cup olive oil

12 slider-sized potato rolls, toasted

1/2 cup harissa aioli

Procedure:

- Place chickpeas, baking powder, cumin, cilantro, scallions, lemon zest, jalapeño (if desired), garlic clove, and flour in bowl of food processor. Pulse until mixture holds together, but chunky bits of chickpea still remain, about 8-10 one-second pulses (do not process into paste). Transfer mixture to large bowl and gently fold in crab meat. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and mix again until homogenous.

- Toss shaved fennel with lemon juice and olive oil in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Form crab mixture into 12 equal portions and form into patties roughly two inches across. Refrigerate crab cakes and fennel until ready for use, up to 8 hours.

- Heat remaining oil in heavy-bottomed 12-inch non-stick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Carefully add crab patties (if oil continues to smoke after crab patties are added, reduce heat to medium). Cook, gently shaking pan occasionally until deep golden brown, 2-4 minutes. Carefully flip using tongs, and continue to cook, gently shaking pan occasionally, until golden brown on second side, 2-4 minutes. Transfer cooked patties to plate lined with double layer of paper towels.

- Spread harissa mayonnaise evenly over bun tops and bottoms. Place a small pile of shaved fennel over each bun bottom. Top with crab patties, close sandwich, and serve immediately.

For the harissa mayonnaise, combine and mix five tablespoons of mayonnaise, three tablespoons of harissa paste and one teaspoon lemon juice. You can store this mayonnaise up to one week in the refrigerator.