The Best Crab Cakes
Chock full of jumbo lump crabmeat, the Best Crab Cakes are light on fillers for the most perfect tender bite you’ll ever take. Simple to prepare, these golden brown crab cakes are perfect for easy weeknight dinners or elegant dinner parties.
Crab Cakes
If you didn’t get your fill of seafood this summer, you’re in luck. I’m sharing my FAVORITE recipe ever with you today and it’s made the only way it should be. The Best Crab Cakes ever made have very little filler making them tender, succulent and perfect.
I’m a very picky crab cake eater so I tend to shy away from them at restaurants. A lot of places tend to keep their costs down by plumping up their crab cakes with a lot of filler…mainly breadcrumbs. Lots and lots of breadcrumbs.
Then, they dredge them in even more bread crumbs before frying them and basically what you’re left with is a mealy crab dip, deep fried and coated in crusty crumbs. I’m more of a purist when it comes to my crab cakes. I make my Tuna Patties much the same way.
Ingredients
- Fresh Crab Meat – I like to use jumbo lump crab meat from blue crabs because of the mild flavor and tender meat but you can replace it with less expensive lump crab meat or back fin meat, as well.
- Mayonnaise – A good quality mayonnaise is essential here.
- Dijon Mustard – I love the tanginess of the dijon, it’s milder than most mustards but gives the filling a great flavor. If you prefer, you can substitute with 1/2 the amount of dry mustard powder.
- Worcestershire Sauce – I like how it adds a salty flavor without being overly salty. You can substitute with soy sauce, fish sauce or coconut aminos.
- Hot Sauce – It doesn’t make the crab cakes spicy at all but adds a nice red pepper flavor.
- Egg – Egg is the binding agent, you can skip the egg but your crab cakes may be a little more fragile.
- Lemon – Both the lemon juice and lemon zest add fresh, light flavor.
- Seasoning – We season simply with kosher salt and black pepper. Add a pinch of celery salt for a great pop of flavor or make an authentic Maryland crab cake recipe with Old Bay Seasoning.
- Breadcrumbs – While this recipe is light on fillers, Panko Bread Crumbs help hold the crab cakes together without making them dense.
For the full list of ingredients and instructions, see the recipe card below.
How To Make Crab Cakes
These famous Crab Cakes comes together quickly making it ideal for a quick dinner.
I like them loaded with fresh lump crab meat, a little mayo, a little mustard, a teensy bit of breadcrumbs, parsley, a squeeze of lemon and some seasoning. Keep it simple and you will have the best Maryland style Crab Cakes in your life.
- Whisk together the mayonnaise, hot sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and mustard.
- Pick over the crabmeat for shells.
- Fold the crab meat and breadcrumbs into the sauce being careful not to break up the crab too much.
- Shape the crab mixture into 6 equal size patties and arrange on a baking sheet.
- Chill the patties for 30 minutes to allow them to firm up.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. (You can substitute the butter with ghee, olive oil, soybean oil or peanut oil.)
- Add the crab cakes to the hot skillet and cook until golden. Flip and continue to cook on the other side until golden. (If making a double batch, you can keep your crab cakes warm by transferring them to a preheated oven at 300˚F.
- Transfer to a platter and serve with lemon sprinkled with fresh chopped parsley.
What are Crab Cakes
If you’re a crab lover, crab cakes are the best thing ever. Maryland crab cakes are a type of fish cake, similar to my salmon patties, made of crab meat mixed with mayonnaise, breadcrumbs, lemon, mustard and little else.
They’re usually pan fried, baked, broiled or even deep fried but this recipe we use the pan frying method because it gives the outside a nice crust but leaves the inside tender.
Some versions even mix in Old Bay seasoning which adds a nice eastern shore flavor but I prefer to make them without it.
What Type of Crab To Use
We use jumbo lump crab only for this recipe. Jumbo lump crab comes from larger crabs and is sold in tubs or cans in your grocer’s seafood department.
It is quite expensive so you can use a less expensive lump crab for this recipe if you prefer or if Jumbo Lump is unavailable.
Tips for Perfect Crab Cakes
- Pick over the crab meat for shells. I guarantee you’ll find one or two and you definitely don’t want to find them when you’re eating your crab cakes.
- Fold the crab meat into the sauce, carefully. You can’t to keep as much of the crab in tact as you can so don’t manhandle it when mixing the ingredients together.
- CHILL your cakes before cooking. By chilling your crab patties, this will help them from falling apart while cooking.
- Breadcrumbs matter. We use Panko Breadcrumbs, which are lighter and less dense than traditional breadcrumbs. The lighter crumb helps them remain light and tender.
How To Freeze Crab Cakes
- Arrange crab cakes in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment and transfer to the freezer.
- Freeze until firm.
- Wrap each cake in plastic wrap and transfer to a freezer bag or freezer safe container.
- Freeze for up to 6 months.
This homemade Crab Cake recipe is great for weeknight dinners because they come together in less than 30 minutes. But they also make a great first course for entertaining or make little mini crab cakes for a passable appetizer for the holidays.
Leftover Crab Cakes can be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Best Sides for Crab Cakes
Crab Cakes are super versatile and can be served with just about anything. We love them in a casual setting the Baltimore way with a side of coleslaw and a pile of Truffle Fries.
We also love to make the ultimate crab cake sandwich for a low key summer dinner!
Or you can serve them surf and turf style with a juicy Filet Mignon! Top them with homemade cocktail sauce or drizzle them with hollandaise.
They’re a great addition to a buffet with this simple Shrimp Cocktail and these super amazing Tuna Sundaes (don’t let the name sway you…they’re spectacular.)
I bet you never knew how versatile and easy a crab cake can be, am I right? And this is the World’s Best Crab Cake Recipe…..for reals.
More Easy Crab Recipes
- The Best Hot Crab Dip
- The Best Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
- The Very Best Cold Crab Dip Recipe
- Maryland Crab Soup
- Crab Imperial
If you’re in the mood for crabs in the shell, these Dungeness crabs are as easy as they are tasty!
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Get the Recipe: The Best Crab Cakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat, picked over for shells
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, I use Tabasco
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Equipment
- 1 skillet
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, carefully pick over the crab and remove any shells.
- In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, dijon, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, egg, pepper, lemon zest and parsley.
- Add the mayonnaise mixture to the crab and, carefully, fold together being careful not to break up the crab meat too much. Gently fold in the breadcrumbs.
- Form 1/3 cup of the crab mixture into 8 patties and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment. Chill for 15-20 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the crab cakes and cook over medium heat until golden, approximately 3-4 minutes. Turn the crab cakes over with a spatula. Cook until golden brown, crispy and cooked through, approximately 3 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately with tartar sauce and lemon wedges, if desired.
Video
149 Comments on “The Best Crab Cakes”
Those are the most perfect looking crab cakes I have ever seen!
Thank you!
What an awesome idea!
Thank you!
I am always up for crab cakes!
Being from Maryland and all. 🙂
Yup, this is exactly how I like my crab cakes, too! I love how thick and fabulous these look!!!
Thank you!
I can’t seem to see the recipient for the very best crab cakes. Could you please send it to me?
Thanks in advance.
Kerry
It’s at the bottom of the post. Just scroll down. Thanks!
so in the nutrition facts, is ‘per serving’ equal to ‘1 crab cake’?
Approximately 1 crab cake depending on the size you make them.
Going to try this recipe this weekend, due to the fact that I have a very expensive 4 year old that loves fish, shrimp, lobster, and sushi. So I am excited to try it.
LOL! My 6 year old loves them! He’s expensive, too. 🙂
6 minutes total… right?
If you wanted to freeze these when would you do it? Before or after their cooked?
I’d freeze before they’re cooked and then either thaw, then cook according to directions OR cook from frozen by baking on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.
I didn’t have parsley (I know, who doesn’t have parsley) so I chopped up some cilantro instead and the crab cakes turned out just fine. I halved the recipe, because I only had 8 ounces of crab meat, but kept the 1/4 cup of panko bread crumbs and didn’t find it too bready. I like to put in a pinch of Old Bay seasoning because that’s the recipe I grew up with.
Sometimes I like the addition of Old Bay, too! Cilantro probably gave it a great citrusy flavor….I’m going to have to try that!
The flavor of these crab cakes is perfect. The texture didn’t hold up. I’m wondering what would bind them more without changing the flavor.
Try stirring in one T of melted butter into the mixed wet ingredients right before you fold into the crab. It will start setting up promptly and the cakes should bind nicely
That’s a great tip! We don’t have issues with them falling apart but that will definitely help out for people who are experiencing some difficulty.
Made these with my daughter last night, who loves crab cakes, and is very picky. We all loved them! Even the 7 year old loved them. I’ll have to double the recipe next time. Thanks for an easy and delicious recipe!
Thank you so much for commenting! I’m so glad everyone loved them and, yes, we double the recipe every time now! 🙂
“Form 1/3 cup of the crab mixture into 8 patties “. — why only us 1/3 cup of the mixture. What are you doing with the rest of it?
Was looking for low calorie option. Impressed with your recipe. Please tell me 2700 calories is a misprint.
Ha ha! Yes! I have a new recipe card that calculates nutrition facts. We’re working out the kinks. I’ll make the adjustment for you now.
Could I use imitation crab meat instead?
You could but the flavor will not be the same. Imitation crab meat is really fish, I’d stick with the real stuff.
Didn’t see where in the recipe to add parsley.
I updated the recipe, thank you!!!