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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.
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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
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These were AMAZING. My 1st attempt at crab cakes and I certainly found the right recipe! 1lb is definitely plenty to feed 4, unless everyone wants seconds (there are 2 extra). I served the crab cakes over arugula and my guests drizzled the delicious homemade tartar sauce over the cakes and salad. I also made corn bread muffins by the same chef and her delicious “corn salad”, which my husband is still talking about! My advice – get good crab meat! I bought 1lb at Costco for $22 and it was worth it. I served appetizers beforehand so we each only had 1 crab cake – lucky me, I’m enjoying another one for dinner tonight!
Great recipe! But no crunchy ingredients are supposed to be in a Maryland crab cake. So I left the celery out.
Another great recipe! Followed the directions and they came out wonderful as did the tartar sauce. Thanks Jenn!
We have vacationed in Maryland and Virginia several times. Crab cakes are always one of our must haves. My husband is now gluten free so he does not order them any longer. He asked that I make them. In looking for recipes I found this. I made as is but used GF bread crumbs. Oh my gosh. So delicious and he was happy to be able to enjoy them. I will be making them often when crab is on sale.
So glad you enjoyed them and that your husband was able to get his crab cake fix! 🙂
This is a great recipe as written, as just about all of Jen’s recipes are. I find that the mixture is a little loose if I just dump the crab meat from the container into the mix because of the water in the container. Now I dump the crab meat on paper towels and pat dry before adding to the base mixture and then the cakes form nicely. Thanks Jen for all of your great recipes. The tips in your cookbook are especially helpful.
That’s a great tip, Mike. So glad you like the recipes!
I was lucky enough to find this recipe a few years ago and it has become my all time favorite recipe of all time. It is simple, quick to make and absolutely delicious. I think its the #Best crab cake recipe ever! The crab shines as it should it. All of the ingredients compliment the crab and do not over power it. The tartar sauce is soooooo yummy! Thank you!
These are now me go to crab cake recipe. We love these and they are so easy to make and taste absolutely delicious. I had quite a bit of crab the first time I made these so I actually froze some. I kept them in the freeze for about 2 months and when I thawed them and cooked them up they were just as good as when I made them fresh! Love your recipes!
Absolutely delicious! Best homemade crab cakes I’ve made
I’ve made this recipe a few times now, each time to rave reviews! I did eliminate the extra salt, as both my husband & I have high blood pressure.
It is better than most of the Southern Jersey Shore Restaurants.
My husband loved them! He thought they were better than any he’s ordered in a restaurant. Another keeper Jenn. Thanks!!