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”
I am a vegetarian, so I will not be able to enjoy the tastes of this recipe but I liked the video very much!!!
Thank you!
Tonight we are using your recipe for the third time.
It’s a flawless recipe that gets easier each time.
Good work Kellie.
Got anything up your sleeve for manta rey?
Thank you…..and no. No manta rey here.
Making these tonight, hope they taste as good as they look, my worry is that they’ll fall apart
They’re amazing….just be sure you chill them before trying to cook them or they will, absolutely, fall apart. Also, handle gently. Enjoy!
No old bay?
Nope. No Old Bay.
This was amazing!!!!!!!! I added shallots and roasted red peppers. This really is the beat crab cake recipe. Thank you
I’m so glad you loved it! And thank you for the comment, I love that you added shallots and roasted red pepper….such a great idea!
Excellent recipe, Kellie. Cooked these this afternoon and they were delicious. Thank you.
For those of you who are not chefs, such as myself, but enjoy trying new recipes, here are a few clarifications. 1. The crab cakes need to be cooked at 340-350 degrees. Medium heat means nothing to me. 2. 1/2 cup of mayo was a little too much. Drop it to 3/8 or 1/4. 3. 1/4 cup of bread crumbs were not enough to bind it together. Consider using a little more.
As I said, I’m not a chef, so take my comments with a grain of salt.
For not being a chef, you are sure full of suggestions. 🙂 So, the mayo is the binding agent, you cut that back and you’re losing your “glue” so to speak. Then you would need more bread crumbs, which if you’ve ever had a true maryland crabcake, there’s little to no filler. Yes, they tend to fall apart a bit but if you don’t manhandle they stay moist and tender as they are intended.
Also, I don’t know about your stove but my stovetop does not have 340-350 degrees on that little knob so unless you’re using an instant read thermometer, most home cooks go by the low/medium/high guidance. Medium heat means medium on your little knob. Turn to medium and cook away. Overall, I’m glad you liked the recipe and offered up your suggestions. Thanks for your time.
I have been searching for a great crab cakes recipe for YEARS…Did I mention YEARS?? All prior seemed to lack “something…” This recipe is simple, and fantastic. Even reheated as leftovers! I believe I will get this recipe tattooed on my arm…..So I have it forever! (LOL!) Thank you, thank you, for giving me a recipe I will cherish for years to come!
Thank you so much for your comment! I feel the same way about other crab cake recipes. So many people stuff them with so much “stuff” they totally lose their crab flavor. I’m so glad you loved them!
Love that you don’t skimp on the crab here! I can’t wait to try this recipe!
This is so true about restaurant crab cakes! I’m going to try your recipe.
I hope you love them as much as we do!
I made this tonight per recipe and it was wonderful. Made 6 crab cakes and cooked for 4 min per side. YUMMMM.
Yay! So glad you loved it….I hate when recipes don’t work out especially when the ingredients are pricey like this one. So, I try and make sure they work for everyone that tries them. 🙂 Thanks so much!
Like you, I want my crab cakes filled with nice lump crab meat & not loaded with breading. Finally found a good restaurant that fits the bill. Your recipe sounds just like the crab cakes they serve. I am thrilled to find a recipe I can make at home & save $28!
Thank you so much! I’m glad you love them as much as we do!
So good and so easy to make! Just the right amount of heat! Hubs is already asking when I’ll make it again 🙂
Yay! I’m so glad you loved them!
I made these last night and they turned out excellent. Very moist and little breading. Very good recipe.
I noticed a comment about sautéing the vegetables? What vegetables? Thanks
Ha ha! Right???? So glad you liked them, though!
Dynamite! These were very good. I actually followed the recipe and made three big-ass-crab-cake sammies. The flavor was excellent. When you’re spending a crap ton of money on expensive jumbo lump crab, you want the crab flavor to come through, and, with this recipe, it did just that. This was a $30 adventure, and, even so, it was worth the money. With that said, they’re super easy to put together. I probably only did about 15 minutes of prep work. The only thing I did differently was to saute’ the veggies first. I don’t like them mushy, but I don’t like them uber crispy, either.
I am soooo glad you loved them and came back to comment. This is, by far, one of my favorite recipes. I like your suggestion to saute the veggies…..definitely a good move and I’m sure it added tons of flavor. Thank you!
Has this recipe changed? I don’t see any veggies listed
Hi! Yes, slightly. I used to add bell peppers and now have just gone straight crab.
Looks sooo yummy. Gotta try making these.
Nothing I love more than large chunks of crab in my crab cakes… the more the better. It always annoys me when there is more filler than crab!