Crab Cakes - Best Melt-in-your-Mouth Recipe - Everyday Dishes (2024)

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by Cheryl Najafi on Dec 14, 2014 7 comments »

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If you’re serving crab to your company, we wouldn’t have it any other way than to set you up with a recipe for melt-in-your-mouth crab cakes.

Our recipe uses a minimal amount of ‘binder’ so you get the full savory flavor of the crab. We also pre-mix the ingredients before adding the crab meat—since crab meat can be on the expensive side, we like to have big lumps of crab visible in the cakes.

This dish is absolutely fabulous served with a side of lemon and tartar sauce or on a bed of fresh greens, accompanied by a light vinaigrette dressing.

Crab Cakes Recipe Tips

  • The key to this recipe is to handle the crab meat gently. This will keep the patties light and perfect for frying while keeping the large chunks of meat intact!
  • Want to make this recipe lower carb? Use crushed pork rinds instead of crackers!

Crab Cakes - Best Melt-in-your-Mouth Recipe - Everyday Dishes (1)

Crab Cakes Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Melt-in-your-mouth crab cakes are easier to make than you think! This simple recipe makes crab cakes an entertaining staple.

Ingredients

Yield: 8 crab cakes

4.23 from 81 ratings

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Instructions

  • Transfer crabmeat into a colander then set aside to drain excess liquid. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce (optional), garlic powder, paprika and salt until completely combined. Add bell pepper, green onion and parsley then stir to combine.

  • Gently fold in drained crabmeat until well coated. Once the crab is moistened, add cracker crumbs, gently folding until the crumbs are completely mixed in. Try to leave crab chunks as intact as possible. Cover mixture then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

  • Form patties using ⅓ cup of the mixture at a time. When forming the patties, compress the mixture well, but don’t mash them together or they will become too dense. The mixture will be moist, but should hold together. If the mixture does not hold together, just add a bit more cracker crumb.

  • Place a large skillet over medium heat then add just enough oil to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Heat oil until it is shimmering, then gently place crab cakes into the pan. Do not overcrowd the pan and work in batches if necessary.

  • Fry crab cakes until dark golden brown, about 3–5 minutes per side. Remove from pan then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to remove excess oil. Serve piping hot with a wedge of lemon and your favorite tartar sauce. Enjoy!

Notes

The key to this recipe is to handle the crab meat gently. This will keep the patties light and perfect for frying while keeping the large chunks of meat intact!

Author: Cheryl Najafi

Course: dinner

Calories: 121kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 38mg, Sodium: 672mg, Potassium: 38mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g

Crab Cakes - Best Melt-in-your-Mouth Recipe - Everyday Dishes (2)

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originally published on Dec 14, 2014 (last updated Nov 3, 2023)

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7 comments on “Crab Cakes”

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  1. Rachel

    Love this recipe. I’ve been using it for years. And it’s spoiled me so much I can’t eat store bought /restaurant crab cakes anymore!

  2. Lindsay Viker

    Absolutely! I really like to vacuum seal any food I’m freezing if possible to keep it as fresh as possible.

  3. Dave

    Since there are only 2 of us, if I make the whole recipe can I freeze them once made but not cooked? I saw the recipe reduction but I figure I have to use the crab anyway.
    Thanks!

  4. Divya s

    Hi,

    I was googling around for the content about the seafood. On this page, I found your fantastic resource. Just wanted to let you know how much your page has helped me.

    We provide fresh fish, blue crab, crab cake, alaskan crab legs, shrimp, shellfish, seafood soup, and more. If you want to check it, you may find it here: https://www.cameronsseafood.com/

    Please have a look at this. Perhaps we might collaborate to write a blogpost or promote one another through any other referral source.

    In any case, thanks for compiling your resource list and have a great day!

    Talk Soon,

    Divya
    [emailprotected]

  5. Lindsay Viker

    Oh definitely! You don’t want them to dry out so you’d probably want to use it up within about 2-3 days and store it in an airtight container.

  6. Cindy

    I’m wondering if this can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge? If so bow soon sho yo ld it be used up? Thank-you!

  7. Deborah Williams

    Made them for the first time came out great thanks

Leave a Reply

Crab Cakes - Best Melt-in-your-Mouth Recipe - Everyday Dishes (2024)

FAQs

What's the best way to eat crab cakes? ›

8 Ways to Serve Crab Cakes
  1. With Russian dressing. Follow Andrew Zimmern's example and serve cold Baltimore-style crab cakes with Russian dressing and tomato.
  2. With horseradish cream. Make a punchy combo of sour cream, mayonnaise, and horseradish. ...
  3. With gazpacho. ...
  4. On a po' boy. ...
  5. As burgers or sliders. ...
  6. In a salad. ...
  7. With mango puree.
Jun 12, 2017

What pairs best with crab cakes? ›

You will want a starch like mashed potatoes or rice, a nice saffron rice would go very well. You may want to serve any number of veggies like asparagus, brussel sprouts, fresh garden peas or wax beans. A nice salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and sliced mozzarella cheese. The choices are limitless.

Is it better to fry or bake crab cakes? ›

Are crab cakes better baked or fried? You can either bake or fry these crab cakes. My personal preference is to bake them because it's easier (no risk of them falling apart when you flip them) and they are less prone to drying out (it's easy to overcook the crab cakes when frying them in a pan).

What keeps crab cakes from falling apart? ›

Refrigerate Your Crab Cakes

There's actually a pretty easy fix for this common problem. Simply stick your crab cakes in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. The time they spend there will allow the crab cakes to solidify their shape.

Does Gordon Ramsay like crab cakes? ›

When it comes to cooking seafood, Ramsay knows a thing or two. Crab cakes are often on the menu during his "Hell's Kitchen" dinner services (though he isn't always pleased with how they turn out), and he's certainly sampled enough versions of the dish during his "Kitchen Nightmares" restaurant visits through the years.

Why are crab cakes healthy? ›

Crab is packed with protein, which is important for building and maintaining muscle. Crab also contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, and selenium. These nutrients play vital roles in improving general health while helping prevent a variety of chronic conditions.

What food Cannot mix with crab? ›

Tea and persimmon contain tannins, which have been found to make protein harder to digest. So when tea and persimmon are eaten with crab, which is rich in protein, we might experience indigestion.

What flavors go best with crab? ›

vegetal and green notes. Cooked crab's vegetal aroma is most dominant and best described as being similar to that of cooked potatoes, which makes it a complementary pairing for potatoes (of course), but also eggplant, asparagus, cabbage, chicken, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves and even kimchi.

Why are crab cakes expensive? ›

The Cost of Catching and Processing Crab Meat

One of the main reasons why crab meat is expensive is due to the high cost of catching and processing the crabs. Crabbing is a labor-intensive process that requires skilled workers to operate specialized equipment such as crab traps and crab pots.

Can you overcook crab cakes? ›

(The oil seems to keep the butter from browning and burning before your cake is browned.) DON'T OVERCOOK YOUR CRAB CAKES! If you're using raw egg, you need to get it cooked all the way through so keep them fairly thin, but you can really ruin a crab cake by overcooking the crab meat.

What is the best type of crab for crab cakes? ›

If you can, we highly recommend buying jumbo crab meat for your crab cakes. This meat comes from two large muscles, and is known for its bright white color and superior taste.

Should you refrigerate crab cakes before cooking? ›

Pro Tip for Crab Cakes

After you prepare the cake crab mixture it is very important to form the patties and refrigerate them for 20-30 minutes before pan frying them. This allows the crab meat to setup and helps prevent the crab cakes from falling apart when cooking.

Why are my crab cakes mushy? ›

Why are my crabcakes mushy? Too much filler will result in mush crabcakes. You should only use just enough bread crumbs to help hold the crab cakes together.

Should I refrigerate crab cakes before cooking? ›

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Scoop the crab mixture into eight 1/3-cup mounds; lightly pack into 8 patties, about 1 1/2 inches thick. In a large skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the crab cakes and cook over moderately high heat until deeply golden and heated through, about 3 minutes per side.

Are crab cakes served warm or cold? ›

Crab cakes are a versatile recipe - you can serve them hot or cold; they are suited for an elegant brunch, a delicious appetizer (when made a little smaller) or a hearty dinner with a side salad; and you can serve them simply with some lemon wedges or dress them up with a sauce.

Should you heat up crab cakes? ›

Crab cakes can be reheated and maintain their fresh taste when reheated within a day. It is not recommended that you eat crab cakes that have been stored for more than a couple of days.

What is the best way to serve crab? ›

Tips for the perfect crab dinner

My favorite accompaniments to crab include crusty sourdough bread and a fresh green salad or steamed vegetable. Other great side dish options include macaroni and cheese, steamed rice, angel hair pasta or even roasted potatoes.

How do you eat crab etiquette? ›

How do you eat crab with etiquette? Firstly, you must cut down the crabs properly and pull this off from each part. Remove the inedible parts from the crabs and discard them. The important steps are to twist the legs and pull them, then suck the meat from the shell.

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