You won’t believe how easy it is to make these crab cakes at home. They look fancy and taste just like the ones at the restaurant but are super quick to prep and cook. Easy enough for busy weeknights but also elegant enough for entertaining guests, these crab cakes are perfect for any occasion.
Made with lump crab meat and minimal filler ingredients, the taste of the crab really shines through. You won’t want to order them out anymore after making them like this at home! Your friends and family will be requesting these regularly, trust me. Try my coconut shrimp recipe or pan seared salmon recipe for another tasty restaurant-quality seafood recipe you can make at home.
Key Ingredients You Need
- Crab meat — You want to use lump crab meat, also named ??chunk crab meat, for this recipe. Fresh lump crab meat is ideal, and refrigerated crab meat is excellent as well. If you use canned crab meat, make sure it’s drained well.
- Mayonnaise — The mayonnaise adds creaminess to the cakes and is a binding agent alongside the egg to hold the cakes together.
- Old bay seasoning — You can’t have crab cakes without Old Bay! This is a mix of several different herbs and spices that’s mildly spicy.
- Panko — Breadcrumbs added to the mixture will add texture and help hold together the patties.
How to Make Crab Cakes
Step 1: Place the crab meat into a large bowl.
Step 2: Add the egg, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Old Bay seasoning, celery, parsley, and panko into the bowl.
Step 3: Mix until everything is well combined. Breaking up the larger pieces of crab meat as you go along.
Step 4: Form the patties with your hands, about ½ cup of mixture per cake.
Step 5: Prepare the tartar sauce and set it aside.
Step 6: Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Cook the crab cakes in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
Tips For This Recipe
- Tartar sauce tastes amazing when stored in the refrigerator before serving. It allows the flavors to meld.
- Make sure to keep the temperature of the stovetop at medium heat as high heat will cause the exterior of the patties to burn before the interior cooks through.
- For even cooking, don’t overcrowd the cakes and make sure there is space between them so you can easily flip them.
- If you’re having difficulties forming the cakes, you can refrigerate the mixture for a few minutes before shaping them again.
- If you're not a fan of tartar sauce, try serving this recipe with aioli. These crab cakes go really well with my air fryer potato wedges as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Old Bay is a classic seasoning for seafood. Cajun seasoning makes for a tasty substitute if you do not have any Old Bay.
I recommend not changing the amount of each ingredient. The eggs, mayonnaise, and panko breadcrumbs work together to bind the cakes together. If you adjust the amounts, the cakes may not hold together as well.
Using canned crab meat that hasn’t been fully drained may lead to extra liquid in the mixture, making the cakes mushy. Using low-quality crab meat may also lead to mushy cakes, which is why I recommend using lump crab meat.
You can make the mixture a day in advance and keep it wrapped in the fridge. Alternatively, cover cooked crab cakes tightly and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Reheat gently on a skillet when ready to enjoy.
You can also freeze the cake once they’ve cooled. Simply wrap them up tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat.
I use lump crab meat which is from the body of a crab. It’s quite sturdy and flavorful, making them ideal for this recipe. However, you can also use different crab meats. There’s also jumbo lump crab meat which is the most expensive type as it's from the crab’s swimmer fin muscles. Backfin crab meat is flakier and comes from the body of a crab. Claw meat is the least expensive option and is less sweet than lump and backfin, made with small pieces of meat from the fins and claws.
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Crab Cakes
Ingredients
For the Cakes:
- 1 lb lump crab meat
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup celery minced
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- vegetable oil for pan-frying
For the Tartar Sauce:
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp sweet pickles
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp minced chives
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Old Bay seasoning, celery, parsley, and panko and mix together until well combined. Add the crab meat and fold into the mixture until everything is well combined. If the crab is in lumps, make sure you break it apart / shred it with your hands, this will help the cakes to hold together.
- Form the crab cakes with your hands, about ½ cup of mixture per cake.
- Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Cook the crab cakes in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
- To make the sauce, combine all of the sauce ingredients into a small mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
Video
Notes
- Tartar sauce tastes amazing when stored in the refrigerator before serving. It allows the flavors to meld.
- Make sure to keep the temperature of the stovetop at medium heat as high heat will cause the exterior of the patties to burn before the interior cooks through.
- For even cooking, don’t overcrowd the cakes and make sure there is space between them so you can easily flip them.
- If you’re having difficulties forming the cakes, you can refrigerate the mixture for a few minutes before shaping them again.
- If you're not a fan of tartar sauce, try serving this recipe with aioli. These crab cakes go really well with my air fryer potato wedges as well.
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