Try this Maryland Crab Cakes recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- canola oil
- 1 pound lump crab meat*
- 2⽠tablespoons mayonnaise (i like hellman’s real)
- 1â½ teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
- â¼ teaspoon salt
- â¼ cup celery finely diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped
- â½ cup panko
- quick tartar sauce
- 1â½ tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 tablespoon red onion minced
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice to taste
- Carbohydrate 24.4579233504078 g
- Cholesterol 295.500000071009 mg
- Fat 154.476636733484 g
- Fiber 1.53089999968247 g
- Protein 8.95261000141471 g
- Saturated Fat 18.8070526768202 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (859g)
- Sodium 2244.02500162212 mg
- Sugar 22.9270233507254 g
- Trans Fat 68.7390920566257 g
- Calories 1513 calories
Step-by-step
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Combine the egg, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, salt, celery, and parsley in a large bowl and mix well. Add the crab meat (be sure to check the meat for any hard and sharp cartilage) and panko; gently fold mixture together until just combined, being careful not to shred the crab meat. Shape into 6 crab cakes (about ½ cup each) and place on prepared baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat a large nonstick pan to medium heat and coat with canola oil. When oil is hot, place crab cakes in pan and cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side. Be careful as oil may splatter. Serve immediately with tartar sauce or a squeeze of lemon.
- Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Choosing Your Pan and Utensils
Unlike pan-seared fish fillets that rely on a blazing hot cast-iron skillet for a hard crust, crab cakes demand a large nonstick pan operated at medium heat. Stainless steel will cause the delicate panko crust and binder proteins to stick, tearing the patties apart when you attempt to flip them. Select a wide skillet to ensure the cakes have at least two inches of space between them, preventing steam from accumulating and making the crust soggy. A thin, flexible fish spatula is essential here, as thick plastic turners lack the precision needed to slide underneath each cake smoothly.
The Crucial Resting Phase
Chilling the shaped patties on an aluminum-lined baking sheet for a minimum of one hour is chemically necessary, not merely a scheduling convenience. During this refrigeration window, the panko absorbs excess moisture from the mayonnaise and egg while the fats solidify, transforming loose lumps of seafood into cohesive discs that hold their shape in hot fat. If you skip this resting period, the thermal shock of the hot oil will cause the patties to disintegrate the moment the spatula touches them. Keep the baking sheet on the middle shelf of the refrigerator where airflow remains consistent.
Monitoring the Frying Process
Coat the pan with a thin layer of neutral canola oil and wait until it shimmers before introducing the seafood, because dropping patties into lukewarm oil results in grease absorption rather than a crisp exterior. Cook each side for three to five minutes until a deep golden brown develops. Watch for splattering oil caused by residual moisture escaping from the celery and crab meat, adjusting the burner downward if the crust browns before the interior heats through. Transfer the finished cakes directly to a wire cooling rack rather than paper towels to maintain structural crispness on the bottom surface.
