Forget the toast. Try avocado atop these tasty crab cakes

These light but sumptuous two-bite treats stand miles apart from the mayo-heavy, crab-flavored bread-crumb mounds that often pass for crab cakes nowadays.

Here, they are all about the succulent crab, which is bound minimally with whole-grain bread crumbs and egg — no mayo at all. The sweet tenderness of the seafood is elevated, not overwhelmed, with lime, ginger and cilantro, and enriched with fragrant, toasted sesame oil. The cakes are coated in more whole-grain bread crumbs, specifically Japanese panko, which make for an extra- crispy exterior when panfried (not deep-fried) in a small amount of oil.

The sauce rises above the d ensely mayonnaise-y typical tartar as well, both flavor and healthwise. Its creamy richness comes from avocado, which is mashed with lime and spiked with a heady punch of wasabi paste. Dolloped on top of the crab cakes, it is exactly the crown they deserve. These crab cakes may be made as regular-size pat- ties as well, but at this size they are ideal as party finger-food.