Maryland Crab Cakes with Quick Tartar Sauce
A Maryland staple, these crab cakes are made from fresh lump crab meat and just enough filler to bind the crabmeat together.
Prep: 30min
Total: 40min
Yield: Makes 6 large crab cakes
Serving Size: 2 crab cakes
Nutrition Facts: servingSize 2 crab cakes, calories 299, Fat 14 g, Carbohydrate 9 g, Protein 32 g, Saturated Fat 3 g, unSaturated Fat , Sugar 1 g, Fiber 1 g, Sodium 1141 mg, Cholesterol 275 mg
Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs
- 2½ tablespoons mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s
- 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup finely diced celery, from one stalk
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 pound lump crab meat (see note below)
- ½ cup panko
- Vegetable or canola oil, for cooking
- 1 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s
- 1½ tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon minced red onion
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instruction:
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.
- Combine the eggs, 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; using a rubber spatula, gently fold the mixture together until just combined, being careful not to shred the crab meat. Shape into 6 cakes (each about ½ cup) and place on the prepared baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This helps them set.
- Preheat a large nonstick pan over medium heat and coat with oil. When the oil is hot, place the crab cakes in the pan and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Be careful as oil may splatter. Serve the crab cakes warm with the tartar sauce.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, relish, mustard, onion, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The crab cakes can be formed, covered, and refrigerated a day ahead of time before cooking. The tartar sauce can be made and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance.
- Note: If you can only find jumbo lump crab meat, you may need to break the pieces up a bit. If the clumps are too large, the crab cakes won’t hold together well.
- Note: The nutritional information does not include the tartar sauce.
OUR FAVORITE CRAB CAKES RECIPE + DIPPING SAUCE
FAQ
Is it better to fry or bake crab cakes?
My personal preference is to bake them because it’s easier (no risk of them falling apart when you flip them) and they are less prone to drying out (it’s easy to overcook the crab cakes when frying them in a pan). The upside of frying is you get a wonderful crispness on the outside of your crab cakes that I love.
What is the difference between Maryland crab cakes and regular crab cakes?
A crab cake is only considered a Maryland crab cake when it is made using only the meat from a Maryland blue crab. That signature sweetness of our state crustacean is the highlight of any crab cakes, which is why Box Hill makes our famous crab cakes with only blue crab meat.
What keeps crab cakes from falling apart?
What keeps crab cakes from falling apart? Refrigerating the crab cakes before cooking is essential if you don’t want the crab cakes to stay together instead of fall apart. In addition to the refrigeration, the crab cakes are held together with egg, mayonnaise, and panko bread crumbs in this recipe.
What is the best type of crab for crab cakes?
For the absolute best crab cake (and crab dip!), I recommend using lump crab meat or a mix of lump crab meat and backfin meat. Lump crab meat guarantees those big mouthwatering bites of crab. Don’t worry, all the other ingredients are pretty inexpensive.
