How to Make Crab Cakes
How to make crab cakes that taste like crab, are easy to make, reasonable on the wallet, and adaptable to your taste. Yes, it's possible.
Servings: 2
Calories: 673kcal
Ingredients
Crab Cakes
- ½ pound handpicked lump crab meat
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Pinch of kosher sea salt to taste
- ¼ cup (about 6) saltine crackers, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon butter (for baking) or vegetable oil (for sauteing)
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Lemon wedges for presentation
Tartar Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sweet relish
- 1 tablespoon minced shallots
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon capers, chopped
- ½ teaspoon dried tarragon
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce
- Pinch of kosher sea salt to taste
Instructions
- First, combine the egg, mayonnaise, parsley, Old Bay, Worcestershire and salt in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Next, gently go through the lump crab meat with your fingers to make sure it’s free of the shell and hard cartilage. Set aside.
- Now, add the crackers and lump crab meat to the bowl with the mayonnaise mixture and carefully combine everything together.
- Tightly cover the bowl with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
If you bake them:
- Preheat oven or toaster oven to 450°F.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease with butter.
- Form patties by hand (you can first put the mixture in a ½-c measuring cup – that’ll give you a nice sized patty) and place on the prepared baking dish.
- Brush the top of the crab cakes with some more melted butter.
- Put crab cakes in the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. If you’d like a little crustier outside, put them under the broiler for the last 3 minutes.
- Just before serving, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over them. Serve immediately.
If you saute them:
- Form patties by hand (you can first put the mixture in a ½-c measuring cup – that’ll give you a nice sized patty).
- Heat some vegetable oil over medium heat in a nonstick frying pan.
- Add crab cakes and fry for about 4 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Just before serving, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over them. Serve immediately.
Tartar Sauce
- Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and serve over crab cakes.
Notes
- What type of crab meat is best? Because we want to stay in the middle of the budget range, we’ll go with refrigerated, handpicked, lump crab meat, most often found in the deli section; otherwise, ask your local seafood purveyor. It’s sweeter and tastier than canned crab meat but a purist will tell you that it’s not even close to freshly boiled lump crab meat.
- Chilling the mixture in the refrigerator: Yup. There’s no way around it as far as I know. The mixture has to have some time to settle and bind. I let it chill for at least an hour before forming the patties and it works every time. I honestly don’t know what would happen if you left them in the fridge overnight. If you try it out, let me know.
- Baking vs sautéing: Baking the crab cakes will result in a slightly softer texture. The butter used to grease the baking dish and brush the crab cakes add a nice little sweetness. Overall, it’s the “crabbier” crab cake. Sautéing, depending on the heat of the oil, creates a crunchy outside with a soft inside. I don’t have a preference. It depends on my mood. Either way, they turn out perfect every time.
- Suggestion: If you enjoy this, then you're gonna love our crab mac and cheese!
Nutrition
Calories: 673kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 57g | Sodium: 1713mg | Potassium: 388mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 694IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 102mg