Crab Cakes with Remoulade

This is my humble take on Maryland-Style Crab Cakes. It is a very simple recipe, as some of the best are, and can be made in a short amount of time. It uses minimal ingredients essential to holding the crab cakes together and that complement the crab, while omitting those that would overpower the crabs delicate sweet flavor. Bread is used as the filler, rather than bread or cracker crumbs, allowing for a lighter crab cake--so light they barely hold together. (To my mind, the best crab cakes have barely any filler other than lump crab meat and are sauteed or grilled rather than fried.) The Remoulade is a mayonnaise loaded up with flavor... a spicy Cajun/Creole sauce thats perfect with crab cakes, shrimp, fried appetizers and many other foods.

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Crab Cakes with Remoulade Save
Crab Cakes with Remoulade

This is my humble take on Maryland-Style Crab Cakes. It is a very simple recipe, as some of the best are, and can be made in a short amount of time. It uses minimal ingredients essential to holding the crab cakes together and that complement the crab, while omitting those that would overpower the crabs delicate sweet flavor. Bread is used as the filler, rather than bread or cracker crumbs, allowing for a lighter crab cake--so light they barely hold together. (To my mind, the best crab cakes have barely any filler other than lump crab meat and are sauteed or grilled rather than fried.) The Remoulade is a mayonnaise loaded up with flavor... a spicy Cajun/Creole sauce thats perfect with crab cakes, shrimp, fried appetizers and many other foods.

  • Preparing Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
  • Served Person: 6
saute american crab seafood lump crab backfin crab mayonnaise mustard old bay parsley egg vegetable oil hot sauce lemin juice capers shallots tarragon bell pepper main dish bread appetizers snack summer creamy dpxxyfsvqbldicsy partycollection5 seafood 4main white meat free tree nut free nut free contains gluten contains red meat contains fish contains dairy contains eggs
main dish

Step-by-step

  • Place crab meat in a sieve to drain. Gently squeeze out any excess liquid while simultaneously combing through for any remaining cartilage or shell, being careful not to break up the lumps of crabmeat.
  • Beat the egg in a bowl. Remove the crusts from the bread and break the slices into small pieces. Add to the egg. Mix in the mayonnaise, mustard, Old Bay seasoning, and parsley, and beat well.
  • Place the crabmeat in a bowl and pour the egg mixture over the top. Gently toss or fold the ingredients together until thoroughly mixed, try not to break up the lumps of crabmeat. Gently form the cakes by hand into 6 large flattened rounds about 4-inches in diameter and 1- to 1 1/4-inches thick. Do not compact the mixture too much. The cakes should be as loose as possible, yet still hold their shape. Place crab cakes on a tray or platter lined with wax paper, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (can be refrigerated up to 24 hours), before cooking to allow the binding to absorb some moisture so that the cakes hold together better.
  • While crab cakes refrigerate, prepare Remoulade. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and mustard until they are well blended. Continue whisking and slowly add the oil by pouring it down the side of the bowl in a thin stream. Once all the oil is added, whisk in the hot sauce, Worcestershire, lemon juice, kosher salt, and white pepper until well incorporated. Mix in the capers, shallots, tarragon, parsley, and 1 teaspoon of the red bell pepper until blended. Refrigerate the sauce for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
  • Saute crab cakes: Heat a generous amount of clarified butter and peanut oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Gently lay chilled crab cakes into skillet, and saute, carefully turning once, until outsides are golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.
  • Or Fry: Pour oil into a heavy skillet to a depth of 1- to 2-imches. Heat oil over medium-high heat to between 350 and 375 degrees F.. Carefully lay crab cakes into the hot oil and fry, a few at a time, until a golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted utensil to paper towels to drain briefly.
  • Or Broil: Place crab cakes on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Place under a preheated broiler, 4- to 6-inches away from heat source, until golden browned, turning to cook evenly, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.
  • Serve at once with Remoulade on the side. (Other possible crab cake condiments include; hollandaise sauce, mustard, ketchup, tarter sauce, cocktail sauce or just a squeeze of lemon.)

Jumbo lump crab meat carries the entire financial and textural weight of this dish, demanding careful handling so those delicate morsels do not break apart into stringy shreds during mixing. Tearing crustless white bread into small pieces instead of using dry cracker meal creates a remarkably airy binder that absorbs just enough moisture from the beaten egg and seasonings without turning dense or heavy. Chilling the formed four-inch rounds on a wax-paper-lined tray for at least sixty minutes allows the bread and protein matrix to firm up completely, ensuring the cakes hold together properly when they hit the hot fat. When scaling this mixture up for a larger gathering, maintain the exact ratio of one large egg per pound of seafood to preserve structural integrity without masking the natural sweetness of the shellfish. Dietary adjustments require simple swaps, such as replacing the standard bread with a gluten-free slice or substituting plant-based mayonnaise in the remoulade for dairy-free diets, though the foundational resting time remains non-negotiable for success. Whisking the remoulade requires slowly drizzling oil into egg yolks to build a proper emulsion, then holding the sauce in the refrigerator for thirty minutes to let the capers, shallots, and tarragon fully meld.

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