This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
If you’re looking for an authentic Maryland crab cake recipe, this is the one to make. Crisp and golden on the outside and packed with sweet lump crabmeat inside, these crab cakes taste just like the ones you’d get on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
When you live in Maryland, eating Chesapeake blue crabs and crab cakes is practically a religion—and in my family, we’re all loyal devotees. We even have a running rule: never order crab cakes outside of Maryland. It’s partly a joke, but it comes from growing up on the real deal, where sweet lump crabmeat is the star and filler is kept to a bare minimum. That’s exactly how I make these Maryland crab cakes at home, with just enough binder to hold them together and let the crab shine.
“This is the best crab cake recipe I’ve ever tried! Absolutely delicious and loaded with all crab, hardly any fillers.”
What You’ll Need To Make Maryland Crab Cakes
- Eggs: Help bind the crab cakes so they hold together when cooked.
- Mayonnaise: Adds moisture and richness to the crab cakes. Use a good-quality brand like Hellmann’s or Duke’s for the best flavor.
- Flavorings: These classic Maryland seasonings enhance the sweet crab without overpowering it.
- Celery (optional): Adds a bit of crunch to the crab mixture—nontraditional but a nice touch. Skip it if you’re a purist.
- Fresh Lump Crab Meat: Look for it fresh in the seafood department, not canned—see “Buying Crabmeat” below for what to look for.
- Panko breadcrumbs: Just enough to help bind the mixture while keeping the crab cakes light. Unlike traditional breadcrumbs, panko creates a delicate texture without weighing the crab cakes down.
- Vegetable oil: For pan-frying the crab cakes until crisp and golden brown.
- Quick Tartar Sauce: A quick mix of mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, sweet pickle relish, red onion, fresh lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Buying Crabmeat
The quality of the crabmeat makes all the difference in this recipe. Look for fresh, refrigerated crabmeat sold in plastic containers in the seafood department, or ask at the seafood counter. If fresh isn’t available, pasteurized refrigerated crabmeat, such as Phillips, is a good alternative. Avoid shelf-stable canned crabmeat.
Choose lump crabmeat rather than jumbo lump. Jumbo lump is more expensive and best saved for dishes where the large pieces can shine on their own. In crab cakes, those oversized chunks can actually make the mixture harder to hold together. Backfin crabmeat is a good substitute, but avoid claw meat, which has a stronger flavor and finer texture that won’t give you the same classic Maryland-style crab cake.
Before mixing, gently pick through the crabmeat to remove any bits of shell or cartilage, taking care not to break up the lumps.
How To Make Maryland Crab Cakes
Make the binder: Whisk together the eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, salt, celery, and parsley in a large bowl. Make sure everything is evenly mixed; once the crab goes in, you’ll want to handle it as gently as possible to keep the lumps intact.
Fold in the crab and panko: Add the crab meat and the panko. Gently fold the mixture together until just combined. Be careful not to overmix—the goal is to keep the crab in generous pieces rather than shredding it into small flakes.
Shape and chill: Form the mixture into six cakes, then place them on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least an hour to help them firm up. Don’t skip this step—it makes a big difference in helping the crab cakes hold their shape when cooking.
Cook the crab cakes: Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat with a thin layer of oil. Once hot, add the crab cakes and cook until golden brown on both sides, flipping carefully with a thin spatula. They’ll pop and sizzle, so watch for splatters.
Make the tartar sauce and serve: While the crab cakes cook, whisk together the quick tartar sauce and chill until ready to serve. Plate the crab cakes with the sauce on the side and enjoy!
Make-Ahead, Storage & Freezing
You can shape the crab cakes up to 24 hours ahead, cover tightly, and refrigerate until ready to cook. The tartar sauce can also be made up to 2 days in advance. Leftover cooked crab cakes will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To freeze, store uncooked crab cakes for up to 3 months, then thaw overnight in the refrigerator before cooking. Reheat cooked crab cakes in a 350°F oven until warmed through to help keep them crisp.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I bake or broil these crab cakes? You can, but I don’t recommend it. Pan-frying gives these crab cakes the crisp, golden crust and rich flavor that make them truly special. Baking or broiling will cook them through, but the texture won’t be nearly as delicious. If you’ve gone to the trouble of buying good crab meat, I think it’s worth spending a few extra minutes pan-frying the cakes.
Why are my crab cakes falling apart? Crab cakes usually fall apart if they aren’t chilled before cooking, are flipped too soon, or don’t have enough binder to hold them together. Be sure to refrigerate the shaped crab cakes for at least an hour before cooking, and wait until the first side is nicely browned before flipping. A thin fish spatula makes turning them much easier.
Crab cake Recipe Video Tutorital
Crab Cake Recipe (Maryland Style)
Ingredients
For the Crab Cakes
- 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 flat-leaf parsley
- 1 lb lump crab meat (see note below)
- ½ cup panko
- Vegetable or canola oil, for cooking
For the Quick Tartar Sauce
- 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 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste, from 1 lemon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the Crab Cakes
- 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.
For the Quick 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.
Notes
- 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.
- The nutritional information does not include the tartar sauce.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
What To Serve with Crab Cakes
I love serving these crab cakes with homemade tartar sauce and a few lemon wedges, but cocktail sauce is delicious too. For a classic seafood spread, add peel-and-eat shrimp, hush puppies, coleslaw, or cornbread. If you’re keeping things simple, a green salad or some roasted vegetables make lovely sides.
More Crab & Seafood Recipes You’ll Love
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Thank you. I did put some in the freezer, so I guess I’ll just see what happens. lol I followed the recipe pretty closely except I used fresh claw meat – which is what I had on hand. They turned out excellent. Thanks again.
I added an egg to the recipe to help to hold the cakes together even if using jumbo lump. I didn’t add the celery. These were very very good!!!
these . were . EVERYTHING .
I had never made a crab cake before in my life but have eaten plenty of them, lol. These came out perfect, so delicious. My Husband was raving about them. I was concerned because as I made them into cakes they felt really wet, but I put them in fridge for an hour like recipe said, and they cooked perfectly. They all stayed together and looked great.
Hi Jenn, We love our seafood in Australia so wanted to try your receipe for a Birthday dinner last night. Glad I did they turned out beautifully and were a great hit!
I didn’t have enough fresh crab meat (blue swimmers) for the full receipe so I added some fresh balmain bug meat (similar to lobster) which worked. Served with Coleslaw, corn-on-the cob and sauteed potato slices.
Thank you, Gayle
Hi Gayle were you able to get old bay seasoning in australia
Hi Jenn – This recipe looks delish! I am going to make them into mini crab cakes for a party tomorrow. Would you be to tell me what size they should be and what temperature to bake them on and for how long? I apologize for all the questions, but I definitely want to get them right!
Many thanks, Teisha
Hi Teisha, I would make them bite-sized (about 1-1/2 in diameter); you may need to shred the crabmeat a bit so that they hold together since they are small. Bake them at 350 until just golden — can’t say for sure how long since I usually fry them but I’m guessing 15-20 minutes. When you’re making the mixture, you might want to test bake one crab cake to make sure they hold up in the oven. If they are too dry, you can try adding another egg like some others have done.
Loved the way these tasted, but had a lot of trouble making them stick into cakes. Added another egg, boom, problem solved.
Also had a nice crab cake stir fry from the first unlucky batch! haha
Hi,
Do you think if I refrigerated these for more than an hour they would be ok? I’m worried about them drying out? I want to prep these before I go to work in the morning (9am) and cook them once I get home (5pm).
Thank you!
Yes, absolutely. Just cover them with plastic wrap and they’ll be just fine.
Thank you Jenn! Cant wait to let you know how they turn out! 🙂 Im cooking them for hubby on Vday.
Hi Jenn,
Just wanted to let you know that these crab cakes turned out perfectly! I made them on Valentines day Eve…Left them in the fridge all night/day and prepared them in the skillet for dinner on Vday. I left out the celery like other reviewers. The Husband absolutely loved them and we both agreed they tasted like the real deal! We lived in DC for 6 years and these crab cakes definitely had that authentic Maryland taste to them.
Thanks so much for a staple recipe!!
G’day from West Australia,
We went crabbing up the estuary and caught around a dozen blue swimmer crabs. My Aussie In-Laws always just boil the crabs and make crab sandwiches with salad and a seafood sauce (ketchup mixed with mayo). Although very tasty with fresh crabs I wanted to try something a bit more adventurous! I found this recipe and used the remaining 6 crabs to make your Maryland crab cakes. The Old Bay seasoning is hard to find Down Under, so I substituted it with 1/3 tsp of paprika, cayenne pepper, celery salt and large pinch of ground cardamom and black pepper. I also used 60g of gluten-free bread crumbs instead of panko (my wife is coeliac). The cakes bound together nicely before going into the fridge for an hour.
I fried them up 4 mins each side and they looked (and tasted) awesome. Absolutely delicious crab cakes. Big hit with the family although I might have put a bit too much cayenne pepper in! Perfect for my wife and I, but the ‘olds’ found them a bit too spicy!
Cheers,
Frank 🙂
I thought these crabcakes were simple and easy and came out tasting Great……