This Classic Maryland Crab Cake recipe uses simple ingredients, combining flavors from Old Bay seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, parsley and mustard.
The secret to making Maryland Crab Cakes, is not over seasoning them. They are best when most of the flavor comes from the crab meat. Recipe is adapted from Maryland’s Office of Tourism
Tips for making crab cakes
Crab: First start with a good quality, lump crab meat. The quality of the crab means better tasting crab cakes. If you live in an area, where fresh isn’t an option, look for a container of lump crab at the fish counter of your local grocery store.
Chill: Before sautéing, place the mixture in the refrigerator to chill for at least 15 minutes. Once the breadcrumbs have soaked up the liquid, gently fold in the lumped crab meat.
Shape: The crab cakes should be uniform in size. You can either shape them by hand, or use an ice cream scoop. Try not to pack too tight, when forming the crab cakes.
Key Tips: Chilling for 15 minutes and not packing the crab cakes too loose or too tight, while shaping, are tips that will help prevent the crab cakes from falling apart while cooking.
Fry: I fill my cast iron skillet with enough oil to cover a third the height of the crab cake, and heat to 350 degrees F. Gently place each crab cake into the hot oil. Let them cook until they are golden brown, turn and cook the other side until browned. Remove and let them drain on paper towels.
Baked: If you prefer to bake them baked, place the crab cakes on a greased baking tray and bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes, then turn and bake until golden brown, about 5-8 minutes more.
Air Fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees. Place the crab cakes in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cook until golden brown, about 8 minutes.
Serve with your favorite tartar sauce or remoulade. Enjoy!
Try some of our other recipes:
Best Crab Bisque Soup
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Classic Maryland Crab Cakes
Equipment
- skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound lump, crabmeat
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
- 5 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
Instructions
- Combine breadcrumbs, egg, mayonnaise parsley, Worcestershire sauce and mustard, mix well. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes
- Gently stir in the lumped crab meat.
- Form into six cakes and pat until just firm. Preheated the oil to 350 degrees. The oil should be deep enough to cover a third of the height of the crab cake.Fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn and brown the other side.
