Our Best-Ever Crab Cakes Make The Fancy Dinner Too Easy To Make At Home (2024)

How To Make Crab Cakes

Ingredients

• Egg & Mayonnaise: Crabmeat needs a binder to hold together, and nothing does it better than good ol' egg and mayonnaise.
• Dijon Mustard, Worcestershire Sauce & Hot Sauce: This assertive trio contributes heat, tang, and umami, while having the good grace to leave the flavor of the crabmeat front and center—nice trick!
• Crabmeat: Sure, you’ll get the best crab flavor from fresh-picked meat, but canned crabmeat is no slouch and a whole lot easier to come by. I prefer jumbo lump for its amply sized pieces, but lump crabmeat—sometimes labeled “backfin”—is a worthy substitute.
• Panko Bread Crumbs: I wanted a filler that wouldn’t weigh down my crab cakes or call attention to itself. Panko won on both counts, with saltines coming in a creditable second place.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Start by whisking together a highly flavored binder of beaten egg, mayo, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Do make sure to whisk until the egg is evenly incorporated and the mixture is hom*ogeneous. Now mix the crabmeat and panko, but be gentle about it—you want some nice, juicy pieces of crab still intact. A rubber spatula and a light touch will stand you in good stead.

Gently fold the binder into the crabmeat mixture and form into patties; again, a light touch is called for. At this point, assuming you are using canned crabmeat, you could cover and refrigerate the patties for 1 to 2 days, but you’ll get the best results if you fry them off immediately. For the crispiest cakes and the cleanest crab flavor, I like a neutral oil for the job, but no shade if you prefer unsalted butter. Just make sure the oil (or butter) is good and hot before adding the patties. Monitor the heat carefully while frying; reduce as needed to prevent burning.

How do you like them crab cakes! Though a good crab cake needs no embellishment beyond a squeeze of lemon juice, I can’t resist a good—actually, great—tartar sauce.

Recipe Tips

• What is the best type of crabmeat for crab cakes? I highly recommend jumbo crab meat. It comes from two large muscles and is known for its bright white color and superior taste. It's also made up of bigger chunks, instead of shredded smaller bits, which is ideal. While fresh crab is undeniably delicious, it’s often expensive and can be tricky to remove from the shell. Canned jumbo lump crab meat is perfect for a recipe like this and can be found almost anywhere.If you can't find jumbo (or don't want to splurge on it), use lump crabmeat—it's mostly a blend of broken jumbo pieces. Whichever you choose, don't forget to pick through the crab meat to ensure there are no pieces of shell!
• What is the best way of cooking crab cakes? Although you could probably bake crab cakes, you’re best off searing them in a hot skillet with a neutral oil. That crunchy golden crust is half of what makes crab cakes so iconic. That said, if you’re averse to pan-frying, our air fryer crab cake recipe is another great option.

Crab Cake Variations

What To Serve With Crab Cakes

I suggest serving these crab cakes with lemon wedges and tartar sauce (our homemade recipe is unbeatable). If you're not a tartar sauce fan, try our homemade remoulade instead. For sides, I love serving these with tangy vinegar coleslaw, elote corn soup, and/or grilled tomatoes.

Storage

Leftover crab cakes can be stored in the fridge for 4 days or in the freezer for 6 months. For best flavor, I recommend avoiding the microwave or the oven when reheating. Instead, give the crab cakes a few quick minutes on each side in a hot pan with some oil and they'll be warmed through and ready to eat.

Made This?

Let me know how it went in the comments!