Maryland Crab Cakes with Quick Tartar Sauce
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Great recipie! Thank you so much for sharing it!!! This was the first time that I had ever made crab cakes. I made them several days earlier and froze them. When I fried them (sliightly thawed), they came out perfect.
GREAT recipe! I had never made crab cakes before but these rivalled our favorite local spot. The only thing I wished I would have known is what the texture should be when I assembled them. Maybe it was in the blog section and I skipped? I had a few that totally fell apart. It messed with my presentation but the flavors were outstanding.
Hi Lynn, The nature of crab meat makes the patties a bit delicate, but they should hold together. It may be that your crab lumps were too large. I know it’s a shame to break up that beautiful lump crabmeat, but I do find that smaller lumps hold together better.
I made these last night for my husband and me. FANTASTIC! And so easy! Thank you.
Pretty good although I don’t use celery, ever. Not traditional on the eastern shore.
Love these! So easy and elegant. I couldn’t find fresh crab at my Whole Foods – apparently they don’t carry it here anymore – so ended up using Chicken of the Sea, but they still turned out lovely. Making them again this week! Thank you for another win.
Hi Jenn! I’m making these again this week and had a quick question – is there a reason why you throw in the breadcrumbs in with the crab and liquid all at once? On the salmon cakes, I noticed that you added the salmon to the liquid first, then coated them in the crumbs.
Yes, the bread crumbs serve as a binder here whereas they are more of a crust for the salmon cakes. Hope that helps!
Makes sense – thank you! Just shared this recipe with coworkers; hoping to convert them to OUAC fans 🙂
Great recipe Delish and easy!
I made this with a can of jumbo crab meat. I picked this recipe because I have made many of your recipes and I wanted a recipe with very little mayo. We live in Virginia Beach so we know good crab cakes. We love to pick crabs here.This rivals any of the greats here. Thanks so much for a delicious recipe. It will be worth your money if you make this.
These were absolutely amazing! This was actually my first time ever making crabcakes. I’m not a fan of these when we are eating out but the homemade with fresh crab meat is incredible! Thank you so much!
Made these tonight for dinner at the request of my 8 year old. They turned out perfectly, and were oh so good. I used 1 lb of good claw meat as the lump crab was just too pricey. The can I chose contained a number of large pieces of crab, and the results were excellent. We will definitely be making these again! Thank you.
The tartar sauce was so good that we are eating more fish. I double the recipe for the week. It’s great on fish sticks. Picky eaters like it too. Oh yeah, the crab cakes were wonderful especially with the tartar sauce!
The Best Crab Cake Recipe! The Tarter sauce is amazing!!!!!
This crab cake recipe is excellent! I didn’t have any old bay seasoning on hand, so I add my own salt pepper and paprika. Delicious!
I was nervous about making this, but my family loved it. I personally did not like the tarter sauce.
Hi Jen, just a quick question!
Can I bake or broil the crab cakes in the oven instead of frying them? Maybe bake first in a very hot oven and then broil to crisp the top?
Love your recipes…my daughter lives in Gaithersburg, MD so her husband’s family has introduced her to all things seafood….:)
So glad you like the recipes (and good to know that your daughter is my almost-neighbor)! 🙂
I like the crab cakes best pan-fried but you can cook them in the oven. As you mentioned, 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. Hope you enjoy!
The crab cakes turned out excellent. I loved the taste. Great recipe.
Best I’ve had, having lived most of my life on the Chesapeake Bay.
The fact that the best were made at home, was special.
Great Recipe.
Did not have celery, otherwise made per instructions.
I will add capers to the tartar sauce next time.
The tartar sauce recipe was wonderful as well.
Fabulous Crab Cakes!
I made the crab cakes for my husband using fresh lb. jumbo crab. I served the crab cakes with a lemon wedge & used homemade tartar sauce. Next time I make them I will use Jenn’s Tartar sauce recipe!
The crab cakes turned out perfectly – I placed the mix in my fridge as directed & fried them easily without breakage.
Thank you Jenn!
These were fantastic! I’ve used other recipes that included too much Old Bay. I used 1.5 lbs blue crab claw meat, so up’ed the other ingredients incrementally. It made 11count, 3.5″wide by .5″ high cakes. I used minced green pepper as I was out of celery. I went with the bake/broil method, baking on a oil sprayed, foil lined baking sheet for 25 minutes at 350 degrees, then broiling the tops, after which I flipped them to broil the bottom which wasn’t needed as baking had crisped them up. The ingredients accented the crab without overpowering and the cakes held up without breaking apart. Served with the tartar sauce minus the onion, sub Wickles Relish for the pickle.
Thanks for a great recipe Jenn!
Came out perfect!
I make crab cakes all the time–have probably made hundreds of different kinds with little tweaks here and there. I tried your recipe and ALL of us (hubby, two sons and me) decided these were the best I’ve made. I didn’t have panko so I used bread crumbs (that was the only change to the actual cakes) and I didn’t bother making the tartar sauce (since I don’t like it in general) When I mentioned you included a homemade tartar, my husband and kids begged me to make it next time. Thank you for a great recipe. It’s a keeper!
These were great and easy to make. I had no issues with them falling apart per other negative comments. Thanks so much Jen!
We’re pretty picky about out crab cakes; this recipe was excellent…even halved. Eye-balling is fine with the measurements, but stay in the ballpark. For the sauce, a lesser bit of yellow onion worked as did a chooped sweet pickle rathercthan relish. Winner, winner.
Made these yesterday for the first time. We really enjoyed them. Didn’t use red onion…Used chives instead.
I made brunch for my mother in law and my wife for Mother’s Day. And, made these crab cakes and Tartar sauce as written. They were absolutely amazing. I made the crab cakes tartar sauce an hour before serving and placed in he frig. The flavors melded perfectly!!!
These crab cakes rival those of any I’ve ever had in a restaurant. This recipe will not disappoint!
HI, I have made these twice and they are delicious. I want to prepare these to cook for dinner at another persons house. Can these be prepared and frozen a bit? I have to travel with them (about 30 min) and then will cook them at the destination. Im worried about them not being refrigerated for 30 min car ride.
Hi Colleen, I think you could get away with freezing them briefly, but also think you’d be okay traveling with them for about 30 minutes unrefrigerated.
Made these tonight for the family. They were fantastic. Followed recipe exactly. Will definitely be making again
I love your recipe. I placed the meat in a cupcake wrappers before transferring them to the pan. My family love it. Thank you so much!
Thank you for the great recipe! I followed the recipe including cooking them for 3 minutes on each side on a nonstick skillet with some canola oil and I’ll be darned if they didn’t turn out golden, just like you said they would!
These were amazing. I didn’t even have lump crab and had to use some canned crab and they still turned out amazing. Definitely making again, and already shared the recipe! Thank you!
I made this recipe and my family loved it. I did not use as much bread crumbs and it was wonderful.
I had a can of Ross crabmeat, and the rest of ingredients were on hand, yay! Made last night while in….these are the best, can’t imagine how great they would be with fresh crabmeat!
I have some king crab legs in the freezer. Can I use those and do I need to cook these first and the pull the meat or just thaw and pull the meat
Yes, I think king crab should work. And I’m pretty sure that they’d already be cooked so you’d just need to thaw them. Hope you enjoy!
Can I bake instead of fry the crab cakes? What would be the temp/time?
I like these best pan-fried but you can cook them in the oven. 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!
Can these be baked instead? If so, what temp and for how long?
Thanks!
Hi Shelley, 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!
Mine came out perfect- followed the recipe 100% as written. My husband was very impressed
Definitely the best recipe I’ve used so far, and I’ve tried many. Very tasty!
The best crab cake recipe ever! I broiled mine. The only recipe I will ever use!
I am a professional chef and made the above recipe. I did not like the crab cakes or the tartar sauce. In the sauce the mustard overpowered everything. And for the crab cakes they were falling apart even when leaving them in the fridge for a few hours. Also the flavour was not there. A waste of my nice king crab meat.
What do you suggest to do differently?
Hi Nell, Regarding the crab cakes falling apart, I’m wondering if he used jumbo lump crab meat. 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.
I would have hoped a professional chef would provide constructive comment – not downright dismissal – and a professional chef might also know how to remedy something like the cakes falling apart, you would also have tried your sauce and adjusted it to your taste beforehand right? being a professional chef and all….
I totally agree with you. No professional chef would respond like that.
Kurt if you are indeed a professional chef why are you following another chef’s recipe? I would think that you would know how to make your own.
Also the constructive criticism wasn’t very professional. It was mean. If you can’t make crab cakes from someone’s recipe where many other people have had success maybe you’re not a good chef. (Sorry)
He said he used king crab meat. No wonder it fell apart. Maryland crab cakes use blue crab which is entirely different in shape, texture and taste to king crab.
P.S. to onceuponachef: this is the rare food blog where every recipe actually works.
I really love these crab cakes! I’ve made a different salmon cake recipe that is also delicious, but didn’t hold together. I think your idea of letting them sit in the fridge to bind together is smart. I halved the tartar sauce recipe and still ended up with extra. I’m not sure if we use less tartar sauce that average or the recipe was designed to have leftover tartar sauce.
i like this recipe and mine came out great! thx dmv cook
Not a true Maryland crab cake and as a Marylander these were super disappointing.
I was looking to see what others used in their crab cake recipe to maybe enhance mine even more. I came across this recipe & it had 5 stars and it was exactly how I make mine. However, I don’t add celery. And sometimes I add fresh or dried tarragon, whichever I have on hand. I am from the DMV and we use finely chopped green peppers not celery but this recipe is dead on. Awesome!
Thank you for the substitution of green pepper for the celery. I was out of celery but had a small piece of green pepper in the back of the produce drawer!
Can one use shrimp for his recipe?
Hi Jane, I haven’t tried it but a few readers have commented that they’ve used shrimp successfully. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
This is the only crab cake recipe I will use! Been making them faithfully for over a year and love them every time. Thank you for sharing your recipes. My household appreciates it and every time I make one, I get all the praises for a fabulous meal. Thanks for making me look good 😉
My husband said these crab cakes were the best he’s ever had including restaurants and he loves crab cakes so he’s eaten a lot of them. I was able to make 6 large cakes but I could easily see it making 18 appetizer size. So delicious!
Loved these crab cakes. Super simple but delicious. I only had dill pickles for the quick tarter which I subbed and was still a perfect accompaniment.
I have made these twice, once for dinner and once for appetizers. Both times absolutely delicious. We love the touch of celery, and don’t really care if anyone thinks they are not eastern shore cakes. Used fresh blue crab, and have gotten raves!!! Love the tarter sauce too.
Absolutely delicious! I also used the mixture to stuff shrimp. Thank you for the recipe.
By far the best crab cakes any of my family has ever had and that includes in any restaurant. My husband eats in some pretty high end restaurants in Southern Ca. and he knows good food when he eats it and he prefers these crab cakes to any others. We recently served them at a Super Bowl Party we hosted at our house and they were a complete hit. I didn’t change anything in the recipe except I used gluten free panko bread crumbs and no one knew they were gluten free until I told them.
Hi Jenn. Absolutely love your website and recipes!
These are fabulous!! If I wanted to make these crab cakes as mini ones for hors d’eourves, can I make them in advance (including the sautéing)? Can I then reheat them in the oven?
Thanks so much!!
Karen Tanenbaum
Sure, Karen, you can make them up to two days in advance, refrigerate, and then reheat them before serving. Hope everyone enjoys!
Hi Jenn,
I would like to make these appetizer size a day or two ahead of time and store them in the fridge as you recommend. How do you suggest re-heating them?
Hi Michele, I’d suggest reheating them in a 350°F oven for about 7 – 8 min or until heated through. Enjoy!
I caught some fresh crab and used a modification of this recipe in this video. The crab cakes were delicious! https://youtu.be/QUPd229exY0
Loved the video, Micha!
Thanks 🙂 Great recipe!
These are the best crab cakes ever! Not happy with any others after making these!
Hello Jennifer
would you be able to freeze these?
Thanks
Janice
Hi Janice, I’m generally not crazy about the way crab freezes, but several readers have mentioned that they’ve frozen the crab cakes successfully, so you could definitely give it a try. Hope that helps! 🙂
Wow, made this yesterday, absolutely delicious! Thanks Jennifer, as always, your recipes never disappoint.
First, I am a huge fan! As someone born and raised in Baltimore, this was a delicious recipe! I prefer good ol’ cocktail sauce with my crab cakes but the tartar sauce was superb! Sorry, but I could not do the celery. I doubled the Old Bay and added a Tablespoon of yellow mustard. Yummy! Thanks Hon for sharing!