Maryland Crab Cake Recipe
Big on crab with little filler, this Maryland-style crab cake recipe makes the most tender, flavorful crab cakes in the oven, without the stress and mess!
Servings: 7 medium crab cakes
Ingredients
- 1 pound lump crab meat or jumbo lump crab meat
- ⅓ cup crushed saltine crackers crushed to texture of panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley finely chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ tablespoon butter melted for brushing
Instructions
- Gently pick through the crab meat to remove any shell fragments. Pat dry to remove excess juices/liquid.
- Whisk together the egg, mayo, parsley, mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.
- Stir in the crushed saltines.
- Gently fold in the crab meat until just combined.
- Refrigerate the mixture for 45 minutes.
- Use a ⅓ cup measure to shape 1-inch thick patties. Expect them to be fragile rather than compact. Place the patties on a lightly greased baking sheet.
- Brush each patty with melted butter.
- Preheat the oven’s broiler setting (high broil) for 5 minutes. Broil crab cakes on the middle rack for 7-11 minutes until golden brown and heated through (at least 165°F). Watch carefully. If browning too quickly, lightly tent with foil.
- Use a spatula to carefully transfer them to a platter or plates, and serve with lemon wedges, Tartar Sauce, or remoulade!
Video
Notes
- Jumbo lump vs. lump crab meat: jumbo lump crab makes for large, meaty bites that can be a little looser. Lump crab has smaller pieces that blend more evenly, creating a sturdier cake that holds together more easily. Both are delicious; it just depends if you prefer a chunkier crab cake or a more cohesive one!
- If you don’t have access to fresh crab meat, look for crab meat in the refrigerator section of your local fish market or grocery store seafood section. Phillips is a popular refrigerator crab meat brand.
- You can chill the crab mixture for up to 12 hours before forming into patties, if desired.
- Crab cakes are best served right away!
Nutrition
Serving: 1crab cake | Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 644mg | Potassium: 162mg | Vitamin A: 139IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1mg