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Speckled white plate presented with golden baked crab cakes with the one center focus crab cake with a bite take out.
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5 from 5 votes

Crab Cakes Recipe

The best homemade Crab Cakes are filled with delicious lump crab meat, very little filler, and seasoned to perfection with lemon, Old Bay Seasoning, and Dijon mustard. Pan-fried for a crispy golden crust before being finished off in the oven, they’re perfect as a snack, appetizer, or light lunch dinner.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Resting Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours
Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Sauce, Seafood, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Crab Cakes, Crab Cakes Recipe, Crab Recipe, How to make Crab Cakes, Lump Meat Crab Cakes, Maryland Crab Cakes
Servings: 8 crab cakes
Author: Jessica Randhawa

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1 large egg whisked
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 pound lump crab meat
  • ⅓ cup crushed saltine crackers
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley minced
  • ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil divided

For the Sauce

  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Whisk: In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, egg, mustard, old bay seasoning, lemon zest, Worcestershire sauce, and salt.
    Mayonnaise, egg, mustard, old bay seasoning, lemon zest, Worcestershire sauce, and salt in a large bowl
  • Fold in the crab meat and chill: Fold in the crab meat, crushed crackers, and parsley. Cover the mixture and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. 
    Crab cake mixture in a large bowl.
  • Form the patties: Create ½ -inch thick patties from the mixture, coat them in breadcrumbs, and set aside. You should get 7-8 patties from the mixture.
    One formed crab cake in a large shallow bowl filled with plain breadcrumbs.
  • Preheat the oven and heat a skillet: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and set it aside. Heat a skillet over low-medium heat with a tablespoon of oil.
  • Cook the crab cakes: Pan-fry 2-3 crab patties at a time in the skillet for 4-5 minutes per side or until they appear golden. Transfer the crab cakes to the prepared baking pan. Wipe out the skillet between the batches and repeat this process until all the crab cakes have been pan-fried.
    Three golden crispy crab cakes in a cast iron skillet.
  • Bake the crab cakes: Transfer the baking sheet to the preheated oven and bake the crab cakes for 10 minutes.
    Eight crab cakes on a large baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Make the sauce (optional): While the crab cakes continue to cook in the oven, prepare the sauce by whisking all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate the sauce until ready to serve. 
    Large bowl filled with creamy lemon dijon dipping sauce.
  • Serve: Serve your crab cakes with freshly minced parsley, lemon wedges, and the prepared honey-mustard sauce.

Notes

  • These crab cakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, and the sauce can be stored separately in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
  • The nutritional information is for the crab cakes and the sauce, divided by 8.

Nutrition

Calories: 221kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 816mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 106IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg
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