The Best Crab Cake Recipe you can easily make at home. These crab cakes are crispy on the outside, tender inside, and highlight real lump crab with minimal filler and maximum flavor.
We like to serve these crab cakes with homemade fries or creamy mashed potatoes. For a lighter, low-carb meal, pair them with roasted asparagus or a crisp Caesar salad.
What Makes This Crab Cake Recipe So Good?
There are a few key details that set these crab cakes apart. Crab cakes are simple, but common mistakes—too much filler, greasy frying, or handling the crab meat roughly—can ruin them. The goal is to let the crab shine.
Use lump crab meat for this recipe. Claw meat has its place in soups and dips, but when making crab cakes that showcase the seafood, lump meat gives the best texture and flavor.
Sauce Options for Crab Cakes
Common accompaniments for crab cakes include tartar sauce and remoulade. A classic remoulade is made with mayonnaise, mustard, a Creole or Old Bay-style seasoning, and a touch of hot sauce. Homemade remoulade is usually superior to store-bought versions, which can be overly sweet or thin.
Hollandaise is another excellent choice, especially if you enjoy richer sauces with shellfish or roasted vegetables. Of course, crab cakes are also delicious served plain so the crab flavor remains front and center.
Make-Ahead Tips
Crab cakes are at their best served immediately, but they can be prepared ahead in a couple of ways. Form the patties and refrigerate them on a platter until you’re ready to fry. Alternatively, cook them and keep them warm on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven for up to an hour. Longer than that and they may lose their crispness.
For appetizers, make smaller cakes or plan for one per person. For dinner, two cakes per adult is typical when serving sides like potatoes or rice and vegetables. This recipe yields six large crab cakes; for four adults you may want to double the batch.
Leftover crab cakes reheat well in a skillet or oven, and make a tasty sandwich filling on a buttery brioche bun.
More Crab Recipes
- Crab Cake Chowder
- Crab Salad Appetizers
- Hot Crab and Corn Dip
- Crab Cake Pasta Salad
- Crispy Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Best Crab Cake Recipe
- Author: Dan
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
This crispy crab cake recipe was tested repeatedly to find the right breadcrumb-to-crab ratio so the crab flavor stays front and center.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced red pepper
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh black pepper to taste
- 1 pound lump crab meat, rinsed and checked for shells
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon or spicy brown mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- Olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced red pepper and onion and cook until soft, about 5–7 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, gently fold together the crab meat, beaten egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, cooked peppers and onions, and panko breadcrumbs. Be careful not to break up the lump crab too much.
- Shape the mixture into six patties. For appetizers, make smaller cakes; for dinner-size portions, make them larger.
- Add enough olive or canola oil to a skillet to coat the bottom. When the oil is hot, carefully add the crab cakes, spacing them so you can flip them. These cakes are delicate; if they break, use a spatula to reform them gently in the pan.
- Cook about 3–4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a platter and keep warm while you finish the rest.
- Serve immediately for the crispiest texture, or keep warm in a 300°F oven for up to an hour.
Recipe Notes
To reheat leftovers, warm crab cakes in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes or crisp them briefly in a skillet. Microwaving works but will soften the crust.
Serve with a homemade remoulade or your favorite tartar sauce to complement the crab.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American