Crab Cakes
While developing this recipe, we looked at some of the best crab cakes we’ve eaten to ensure your crab cakes will have great crab flavor without falling apart.
Prep: 1h10min
Yield: Makes 8 large crab cakes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- Canola oil, for frying (or any neutral high-heat oil)
- Lemon slices, for garnish
Instruction:
- [{‘@type’: ‘HowToStep’, ‘text’: ‘Prepare the crab: Transfer the crab meat to a large bowl and pick through it to make sure there are no pieces of shell. ‘}, {‘@type’: ‘HowToStep’, ‘text’: “Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Old Bay, and mustard. Gently stir to combine. Add the panko and gently stir again. Some of the larger pieces of crab meat will inevitably shred—that’s okay; just try to keep as many intact as you can. Cover and refrigerate the mixture for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight, in the fridge.”}, {‘@type’: ‘HowToStep’, ‘text’: ‘When you’re ready to fry, use your hands to divide the crab mixture into 8 round patties (firmly packed, about 2 ½ inches in diameter). Set a medium skillet over medium heat, and add enough canola oil to reach a ¼-inch depth. When the oil is between 350°F and 375°F, you can begin to fry the crab cakes. (If you don’t have a thermometer, you can sacrifice a small piece of a crab cake and add it to the oil in order to see how hot your oil is.) ‘}, {‘@type’: ‘HowToStep’, ‘text’: ‘Fry the crab cakes: Fry the crab cakes in batches to avoid crowding the skillet. Add the first round to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the crust is golden brown. Try to jostle the crab cakes as little as possible (they’re delicate). To flip as carefully as possible, I like using a fish spatula in one hand and a slotted metal spoon in the other. When the crab cakes are done, remove them to a rimmed baking pan lined with paper towels or a wire rack if you’d prefer not to use paper towels. ‘}, {‘@type’: ‘HowToStep’, ‘text’: ‘Repeat with the remaining crab cakes. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.’}]
OUR FAVORITE CRAB CAKES RECIPE + DIPPING SAUCE
FAQ
Is it better to pan fry or bake crab cakes?
How to make Gordon Ramsay crab cakes?
What keeps crab cakes from falling apart?
Make the most of your favorite crab cake recipe by incorporating jumbo lump crab meat into your crab cakes. Using this type of crab meat will help to ensure that your crab cakes are made with a significant portion of meat versus filler ingredients such as mustard or breadcrumbs.