Maryland Crab Cakes with Quick Tartar Sauce
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A Maryland staple, these crab cakes are made from fresh lump crab meat and just enough filler to bind the crabmeat together.
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 crab cakes, which are just as delicious and easier to prepare (not to mention eat). The key is using fresh lump crabmeat and just enough filler to bind the crabmeat together. I love them with tartar sauce, but you could also serve them with lemon wedges or cocktail sauce. Don’t forget the peel-and-eat shrimp, hush puppies, and cornbread.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Maryland Crab Cakes
It’s very important to use fresh, good-quality lump crab meat. Look for fresh-off-the-boat crab meat, which is sold in a clear plastic container, usually resting on ice in the seafood department. It’s expensive, but one pound is enough to make six generous crab cakes (or 12 mini ones).
If fresh lump crab meat is not available, the second-best option is refrigerated crab meat, such as Phillip’s, which is readily available year-round. Avoid shelf-stable canned crab meat, which contains additives that affect the taste and texture of the meat. (For a less expensive alternative to crab cakes, or when fresh crab meat is not in season, try fresh salmon cakes.)
Note that celery is not traditional in Maryland crab cakes, but I love the little crunch it adds; feel free to leave it out if you’re a purist.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the Crab Cakes
To begin, combine the eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, salt, celery, and parsley in a bowl.
Mix well to combine.
Add the crab meat (be sure to check the meat for any hard and sharp cartilage) and panko.
Gently fold the mixture together until just combined, being careful not to shred the crab meat.
Shape into 6 large crab cakes (about ½ cup each) and place on a baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This is really important to help the crab cakes set.
Preheat a large nonstick pan to medium heat and coat with oil. When the oil is hot, place crab cakes in the pan and cook until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Flip and cook 3 to 5 minutes more, or until golden. Be careful as the oil may splatter.
Make the Tartar Sauce
Combine the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, sweet pickle relish, red onion, lemon, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Whisk well, then cover and chill until ready to serve.
Video Tutorital
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Maryland Crab Cakes with Quick Tartar Sauce
A Maryland staple, these crab cakes are made from fresh lump crab meat and just enough filler to bind the crabmeat together.
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 parsley
- 1 pound 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
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
- 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.
- 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.
- Note: 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.
- Note: The nutritional information does not include the tartar sauce.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 2 crab cakes
- Calories: 299
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Sodium: 1141 mg
- Cholesterol: 275 mg
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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These are hands down the best crab cakes I’ve ever eaten! Not a bunch of filler like most restaurants and recipes! No others can even come close!
Each time I made the tarter sauce it was too salty. I finally looked at the Hellman’s jar and found that the sodium is 90mg/tablespoon. In the future I won’t add Old Bay or salt, but will add about 1/4 tsp. of sugar or a little more to balance it out.
Both were still delicious. Thank you.
Can you use canned crabmeat?
Hi Marilyn, I prefer these with fresh crab, but if you can’t find it, canned will work. Enjoy!
I found fresh crabmeat and made these per the recipe. They were awesome! One diner said it was the best he’d ever had! Thanks!
Hi Jenn,
Happy New year
I have tried these crab cakes two times and each time I have had trouble getting them to form correctly. I followed your directions thoroughly, even the refrigeration. I also drained and dried the crab well Any suggestions??
Thanks, I love all your recipes and your cookbook
Josie
Sorry you’re having a problem with these holding together! Did you use jumbo lump crab? Sometimes if the lumps are too large, they can be hard to form into cakes. You don’t want to shred the meat, but smaller lumps work best. Hope that helps.
Can you make these the day ahead. I would like to make them on Sunday and then use them Monday night.
Thanks
Sure, Katie, these will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat nicely. Enjoy!
I had some leftover cooked shrimp. I chopped it coarsely and simply substituted it for the crab meat – no recipe changes. We ate the shrimp cakes on buns – with a little mayo. Yum. great recipe!
can you make these into mini crab cakes?
Sure! 🙂
Hi
Great crab cake,
Thank you
I made these crab cakes for our congregation picnic and they went fast. I did not add celery. I marinated the cakes overnight. I used imitation crab meat (2 packages). The next time I make this dish I will make more sauce. The more sauce on the cakes will keep the cakes together. I will also chop my crabmeat up a little more so the cakes will not crumble. Overall 5 stars!
I made crab cakes on the night of Oct 30, was too tired to cook so I refrigerated them. OMG, OMG, the next morning I had a birthday crab cake breakfast. The crab cakes are good without the tartar sauce so I would eat a plain piece and then dip the next piece in tartar sauce and then I just slathered tartar sauce over the cakes AND IT WAS DELICIOUS.
I was born and raised in the DC Metro Area and you are right, celery is not traditional in crab cakes but I decided to chop it up very fine AND EVERYTHING JUST MELDED TOGETHER, such a good flavor.
Jenn, this is the way crab cakes should taste. Thank you for both recipes.
Delicious! I loved that the crab cake didn’t fall apart in the frying pan.
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!!
Wow! Delicious! Tasted like it was made in a restaurant. I made 12 small crab cakes, as I was concerned that thick crab cakes would not be cooked thoroughly. I also wanted smaller portions. I was amazed that the tartar sauce tasted so good. I did buy the expensive crab at Whole Foods as Jen recommended, and would say that the quality of crab is very important in how this tastes.
Wow. I am a very picky crab cake lover and these were AMAZING! My boyfriend lives on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and we literally met his friend as he was pulling his boat up to the dock to pick up the crab we used for these (how lucky are we!?) we had left over from a crab feast (again, lucky us) and decided to pick the remaining crabs and make cakes. I have some pretty good recipes, but was looking for something different, this was it! I made them almost as written, I like just crab in my cakes, so I substituted the celery w/celery seed. My boyfriend, also a crab cake lover, said these were the BEST he’d ever had and that’s saying something. Since it was just the two of us, I had enough that I also stuffed 6 big mushrooms with the same mixture and topped them w/buttered Panko/Parm mixture. They were also AMAZING! my new favorite Crab Cake recipe! thank you!
How long are these good for after cooking in the fridge
They’ll keep nicely in the fridge for up to 2 days. Hope that helps!
This looks like a great recipe! Out of curiosity, has anyone tried making these and then rewarm them the next day? I was just wondering if I could save some extras for lunch the next day or if should cut the recipe in half. Thanks in advance!
Hi Emily, They reheat beautifully in the oven.
Delicious crab cakes- I followed recipe exactly and they came out perfectly. I made 8 out of the recipe and served two each to our family of four. The tartar sauce was a big hit. Will make this again. Another recipe that makes me look good 🙂
I made these using fresh-caught crabs from the Chesapeake Bay Eastern Shore. I hand-picked the crabs myself. All of us loved them!
Jenn,
I’m a very picky crab cake person. This is my perfect recipe!!! We lived in Richmond, Va and there was a restaurant called “The Frog and the Redneck.” They had a crab cake ever that was my all time favorite. I have found a recipe just like it!! Thank you!!!
If we can’t find fresh crab meat in East Texas may we substitute canned crab meat. Thank you.
Hi Shirley, These are definitely best with fresh crab, but if you can’t find it, canned will work. Hope you enjoy!
Excellent! Followed recipe to the letter. Except, we used a chipotle mayo for sauce. Will definitely make this again and again.
This was awesome. I am a novice at crab cakes. I did put a a pinch of green onions. I also did 2 Tablespoons of low fat mayonnaise and,1/2 Tablespoon of full fat mayonnaise. This cut calories.
These are excellent! I did not change a thing to the crab cakes. I did serve on a bed of slaw and a Ravigote sauce recipe from Brennan’s in NOLA. I never stray from your recipes because they are always spot on when they hit the table! Thank you so much!
This recipe is just delicious. We absolutely love it and make these perfectly seasoned, crunchy crab cakes whenever we buy fresh crab. You won’t be disappointed.
Made these for my hubby he loved them. Although I have no idea what old bay seasoning consists of as I am Australian and we have not got this in our stores. So naturally I did not add this and they were still yummy. But I am curious to know what seasonings are in old bay???
So glad your husband enjoy these, Pammy! Old Bay is a combination of seasonings including celery salt, paprika, black pepper, and more. Here is a recipe to make your own if you’d like. 🙂
These are delicious! Made one change since I thought I had panko, but didn’t 🙁
Ended up substituting crushed saltines for the panko and eliminated the salt. We really enjoyed them, thank you.
Do you happen to have a favorite remoulade recipe?
Glad you enjoyed the crab cakes, Donna! I don’t have a remoulade recipe on the site but this looks like a good one. Hope that helps! 🙂
So funny – that’s the same recipe that I ended up using after doing an online search!! It WAS very good!
I would love to make there, but I am GF. One person used GF bread crumbs successfully. I’m wondering if the Almond flour crackers would be closer to paleo. They are similar to Matzo in texture, but a bit denser. Just wondered if you had any thoughts on this. Thanks Jenn.
Hi Mary, those should work – just make sure you crush them until they’re similar in size to panko crumbs. Enjoy!
I’ve made these over 8 times already! The last two times, I have substituted red bell pepper for the celery. Love it!! Great recipe, thank you for sharing.
So funny – that’s the same recipe that I ended up using after doing an online search!! It WAS very good!
This is the best!!! Followed to a T. Wow. Thanks!
This recipe has become our gold standard for crab cakes. This is also true of several of Jenn’s recipes!
I made this as a last resort since I did not have my usual recipe with me. Now it is my go to recipe. Made as is, I found this to be easy and straightforward. Delicious. And don’t forget the sauce!
Could I bake these?
Hi Taryn, I’d suggest you use a combination of baking and broiling; bake them in a 350-degree oven on a lightly greased baking sheet for about twenty minutes, or until hot (and it’s not necessary to flip them). Then I’d slide them under the broiler for about a minute to get them golden brown on top. Enjoy!
thank you they were delicious!
I have not tried this recipe but can see that it would be yummy! I lived 60 years in Maryland and frankly never had a great cake with celery, pickle relish, Worchestershire or mustard…..parsley, yes. My dad had a restaurant (as did his father) and his recipe was similar except that he used crushed Saltine crackers to help hold the cakes together. I agree that good quality fresh crab meat is essential ( like backfin). The less filler the better. Add mayo, Old Bay Seasoning, egg, parsley, cracker crumbs, salt and pepper. Different areas of Maryland have their own recipes. Pick and choose fillers that your family will enjoy.
This is a great recipe,I did not have lump crab so believe it or not I used tilapia fillets and fryed them just a bit, then chopped up and put in recipe.It turn out great
Could you recommend an alternative to the celery? My husband has an allergy to celery.
Hi Susan, you can just omit the celery, but if you’d like to replace it with something, jicama is a good alternative. Hope you enjoy!
As an alternate to celery she could use sweet peppers. I used both and it was awesome.
Can these crab cakes be broiled ?
Thank you
Hi Sharon, I’d suggest you use a combination of baking and broiling; bake them in a 350-degree oven on a lightly greased baking sheet for about twenty minutes, or until hot (and it’s not necessary to flip them). Then I’d slide them under the broiler for about a minute to get them golden brown on top. Enjoy!
I made these tonight and I loved them!!….I used Italian bread crumbs instead of the other and put them in a little flour just before frying them…OMG…delicious!
I have used chopped red pepper with some success
Jenn,
I followed your recipe word for word last night and made 8 crab cakes with Jumbo Lump and Lump crab meat. Valentine’s Day Dinner for the family was a huge hit. I will definitely use your recipe for crab cakes moving forward. Thank you!
A neighbor has an annual meal for 6-8 of us, and we all bring appetizers. I opted to bring this dish, using lump crab in a plastic container — from the refrigerator section of our store. Having had fresh crab many times, I can’t say the crab I used was perfect, but the results were still outstanding. There were no crab cakes left, and the tartar sauce recipe is one I use for other dishes now too.
These crab cakes are the best! I’m making them again for my hubby for Valentine’s Day this week along with Jenn’s divine chocolate cream pie. Perfect and easy celebratory dinner.
How much of each ingredient is used to make the crab cakes? Am I just missing it? 🙂
It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions underneath. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an icon that looks like a notepad – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
Great recipe, the crab cakes turned out great. My daughter really loved them.
I made these tonight and I loved them!!….I used Italian bread crumbs instead of the other and put them in a little flour just before frying them…OMG…delicious!
Can these sit in the fridge longer than an hour? Say make them the night before or the morning of, and leave them in the fridge for a night and/or day? Thanks!
Sure, Rachel, that’s fine. 🙂
Easy to prepare and delicious!
Made these for New Year’s Eve. Used half lump crabmeat and other half claw meat. Everyone loved them! Easy and quick
My husband has a heart condition and has to watch his sodium intake. Is there anyway to reduce the sodium in this recipe besides the salt?
Hi Jean, You could reduce the Old Bay, as it has a lot of sodium. Hope that helps!