If you are looking for the Best Crab Cakes, you have come to the right place! Crab cakes are so good and versatile, that they can be used as a main course or as an appetizer. There’s nothing better than eating good quality crab as the main ingredient in one of your recipes. Let’s not forget about serving a great Tartar Sauce! It is the perfect accompaniment to our crab cakes. We included a recipe for tartar sauce that we are sure you will enjoy!
What Makes My Recipe Different than the Rest?
If you researched recipes for Crab Cakes you will have noticed Southern versions such as from Louisiana as compared to the traditional Maryland-style Crab Cakes. These recipes may differ in the spices, in the filling, and in the type of crab used. East Coast uses Lump Crab. In comparison, the South will use smaller shredded pieces which can make a more dense crab cake that stays together easier. Some recipes have hardly any filling and some have fillings such as crackers, eggs, and flour. There are differences to even the type of cracker used, (Ritz or Saltines).
My favorite go-to lump crab
My preference is to let the crab shine with the least amount of filler. This is probably sacrilegious if you are from the East Coast. But I am from the West Coast so it is expected of me not to follow the “rules”. The benefit of putting in crushed crackers and other fillings would be that the cake is more homogenous and should be less likely to break apart as you cook. Are there negatives to not including fillers such as crackers? With this recipe, we need to be more careful as we press the ingredients into our crab cake and in placing them into our hot pan. The benefit is that our crab cake is primarily crab and seasoning. So good! Once into the pan, the heat will help keep the crab cakes in one piece.
I know you will love the recipe so make more crab cakes than you think you will need. If you want to freeze some put them aside before you cook them. Place them on a small tray and place them in the freezer. Once they get a little hard you can vacuum seal them or place them in an air-tight zip-lock bag.
Check here for my recipe for Spicy Crab Dip. Just another awesome Crab Recipe!
As always, thanks for Spending Time in my Kitchen!
The Best Crab Cakes!
6
Crab cakes35
minutes40
minutes40
minutesIngredients
2 lb Lump Blue Crab Meat – Make sure crab is picked clean of any shells or cartilage
4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Cup Kewpie mayonnaise
2 tsp Old Bay
2 Tbl Dijon mustard
2 Cup Japanese Panko crumbs
4 Tbl Butter
Olive oil – Drizzle
Lemon wedges for serving
- Optional Crab Cake Ingredients
1 tsp MSG – optional
40 Saltine crackers, finely crushed
1 tsp Hot sauce
- Tartar Sauce
1 Cup Kewpie mayonnaise
1/4 Cup Creme fraiche
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 Cup Cornichons, finely diced (or dill pickles)
2 Tbl Capers drained and chopped
2 Tbl Minced shallot (Small shallot)
2 Tbl Fresh dill, finely chopped
1/2 Tbl Fresh tarragon, finely chopped
2 Tbl Lemon juice
1/2 tsp Lemon zest
1/2 tsp Sugar
Black pepper to taste
Directions
- Make Tartar Sauce
- Add all the ingredients for the tartar sauce into a bowl. Mix well. Set aside in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes so all the flavors can meld together.
- Let’s Make the Crab Cakes
- Preheat oven to 400°
- Combine crab, Worcestershire sauce, Mayo, Old Bay, MSG, and mustard in a mixing bowl. Gently stir and season to taste (salt and pepper). Place panko crumbs in a small bowl and set aside.
- Form baseball-sized crab cakes, and carefully roll and cover them in the panko. Place them on a small baking tray. Place the tray of crab cakes into the fridge. Refrigerate the crab cakes for about 40 minutes to help them set.
- Heat a frying/cast iron pan or use an air fryer… brush crab cake with olive oil/butter combo
- If using a pan, add a small layer of oil to a hot pan. Turn the heat down to medium-hot when the oil starts to shimmer. Gently place your crab cake into the hot pan. Cook for about 5 minutes until you have a brown crust on the bottom. Gently flip your crab cakes. Add butter to your pan. Cook for 5 minutes. Brush the tops of the crab cakes with the melted butter.
- Place crab cakes into a 400° oven. Cook for about 5 minutes. Pull out of the oven when the crab cakes are cooked to your desired doneness.
- Remove the cakes from the pan and place them on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Squeeze some lemon on crab cakes if desired and serve with the tartar sauce
- Enjoy!!
Did you make this recipe?
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