Maryland Crab Cakes
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Made with minimal filler and maximum crab, this Maryland crab cake recipe is all about keeping things simple—and seriously delicious. Perfect for dinner parties, casual summer meals, or anytime you’re craving a little coastal flavor.
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 are all loyal devotees. Every summer, we hit all of our favorite crab shacks, from local joints all the way to the Eastern shore, where you can look out over the bay and put your feet in the sand. I’d never attempt making steamed blue crabs at home. Live crabs, giant steamers—yikes! But I do often make this crab cake recipe, which is just as delicious and much easier to prepare (not to mention eat).
I love crab cakes with homemade tartar sauce, but you can also serve them simply with lemon wedges or even cocktail sauce. Don’t forget the peel-and-eat shrimp, hush puppies, and cornbread on the side.
“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 and serves as the creamy base of the tartar sauce. Use a good-quality brand like Hellmann’s or Duke’s for the best flavor.
- Flavorings: A mix of Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay seasoning, and fresh parsley gives the crab cakes classic Maryland flavor with a touch of tang, savoriness, and freshness. (The mustard also adds a little zip to the tartar sauce.)
- Celery (optional): Adds a bit of crunch to the crab mixture—nontraditional but a nice touch. Skip it if you’re a purist.
- Lump Crab Meat: The star of the recipe. Fresh, high-quality lump crab meat is best—look for it in the seafood section in clear plastic containers resting on ice. If that’s not available, go for refrigerated crab meat like Phillips. Avoid canned shelf-stable varieties.
- Panko: Light, flaky Japanese breadcrumbs that help the crab cakes hold together without weighing them down.
- Vegetable Oil: Used for pan-frying the crab cakes until golden and crisp.
- Tartar Sauce Add-ins: Sweet pickle relish, red onion, lemon juice, and black pepper give the sauce classic flavor with the right balance of sweetness, acidity, and bite. Adjust to taste.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix the base. To start, whisk together the eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, salt, celery, and parsley in a large bowl until well combined.
Step 2: Mix in the crab and panko. Add the crab meat (double-checking for any bits of shell or cartilage) and the panko. Gently fold the mixture together until just combined. Be careful not to break up the delicate crab meat too much—the lumps are the best part!
Step 3: Shape and chill. Form the mixture into 6 cakes, using about ½ cup for each. Place them on a foil-lined baking sheet, cover, 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.
Step 4: Cook the crab cakes. Preheat a large nonstick pan over medium heat and add a thin layer of oil. Once hot, add the crab cakes and cook for 3 to 5 minutes on the first side, until golden brown.
Carefully flip the crab cakes and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes until both sides are golden and the centers are hot. Watch out for oil splatter!
Step 5: Make the tartar sauce. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, sweet relish, onion, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Whisk until smooth, then cover and chill until ready to serve.
Step 6: Serve. Serve the crab cakes on a platter with the tartar sauce on the side. Enjoy!
Crab cake Recipe Video Tutorital
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Maryland Crab Cakes
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.
- 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.
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.
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This recipe is EXCELLENT! I altered it slightly by adding garlic powder and black pepper. Also, instead of fresh celery/psrsley, I used celery seed and dried parsley. My family was asking when I’d make more crab cakes as they were eating. I will be adding this recipe to my collection… one more thing, I didn’t have an hour to allow the crab cakes to sit in the refrigerator. I mixed, shaped and fried them immediately and they were perfect!
WOW! Another great recipe from you Jenn! I followed the recipe exactly as written and it turned out perfect. We ate it plain without the tartar sauce. My husband said he wasn’t that crazy about crabcakes but I love them. He was ooohhhing and ahhhing while he was eating it. I asked if he wanted to take the leftover for lunch the next day. He happily agreed. Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes!
My husband and I had the crab cakes for dinner tonight. They were wonderful! We both agreed that this will be our “go to” recipe. Thanks.
Let me confess I altered the recipe a tiny bit. That said, these were the BEST crab cakes I have ever tasted; tender, moist and bursting with fresh crab flavor.
Alterations: I’m not an Old Bay fan, so I replaced it with a half-teaspoon sriracha. I’m also averse to salty food, so I cut the quarter-teaspoon to “a pinch” and that was plenty. I AM a fan of butter, so I sautéed the cakes in one part canola and two parts unsalted butter. Rich!
Finally, I inadvertently minced more parsley than the cakes needed, so I added the leftover (about 1.5 tablespoons) to the tartar sauce which turned out delicious. Once the cakes were consumed, we were still eating the sauce.
We’ll be eating more crab the rest of our lives, now that we have this recipe!
My daughter loves these crab cakes she can eat them every day, even though that they fall apart a bit during frying they are still delicious, the amount of spices is just right, nothing to add, definitely a keeper.
Can these be broiled in stead of
fried?
Yes, Kathy, you can. I think you should do a combination of baking and broiling; I’d bake them on a baking sheet and When they’re about done baking, I’d stick them under the broiler for a minute or two to brown the tops a bit.
If baked, what temp and for how long?
Hi Carol, I think these are best when pan fried, but you can bake them in a 350-degree oven on a lightly greased baking sheet for about twenty minutes, or until hot. I’d slide them under the broiler after that for about a minute to get them golden brown on top. Hope you enjoy!
I live in a smaller rural town in CA, and really, really want to make these crab cakes, but don’t have a clue about how to get the best tasting crab. We have a Safeway and a Save Mart here. Can I use canned crab meat? Which brand would you recommend? Would it be too salty? Do stores with real meat counters sell fresh crab meat? Thanks for your help. I can’t wait to make these.
Hi Ann, It is definitely best with fresh crab, but canned will work. Ask the at the fish counter what they recommend in terms of brand. Hope you enjoy!
Hello, can I add imitation crab meat with lump crab meat?
Hi Kim, I haven’t tried it with imitation crab, so I can’t say for sure, but I do think these would be best with the real thing– sorry!
We use imitation every tone and they taste amazing!!
My husband and I were pleasantly surprised with this recipe! Very easy to make, the ingredients and directions were precise, and the result was delicious. My only regret is that I didn’t try the tartar sauce!
what is Old Bay seasoning
Hi Nicole, Old Bay seasoning is a combination of spices including mustard, paprika, celery salt, black and red pepper and more. It’s widely available in the U.S. but if you have a hard time finding it, here’s a recipe for homemade Old Bay.