Today we’re making my favorite Crab Cakes recipe.
I made these for New Year’s Eve to kick off 2020 and served them along with my Endive, Pear and Gorgonzola salad and Olive + Onion Focaccia bread. Add in a bunch of Champagne and it was quite a celebration for the incoming new decade.
These can be made any night of the week, although given the price of crab, I do tend to keep them for celebrations or at the very least, a Saturday night.
The most important thing to remember is to add the crab meat to the rest of the ingredients last! It’s important for sauces, herbs, spices, First, I whisk up the flavorful base, fold in the crab meat and other additions before pan frying them up.
Crab Cake Ingredients
- Mayonnaise, I use Light Hellmann’s
- Sugar
- Egg
- Herbs and spices
- Minced peppers and onions
- Worcestershire sauce
- Lemon juice
- Ritz crackers and breadcrumbs
- Crab of choice, I use Super Lump which is a lower grade than Colossal or Jumbo lump crab
There is no correct grade of crab to use for crab cakes but unless I’m making a lump crab cocktail to eat lemon, cocktail and mustard sauce, I won’t splurge on the Colossal or Jumbo costs. When making crab cakes, the meat will break apart a bit when you mix the meat with the other ingredients so why pay the upcharge for large lump pieces?
Flavoring Crab Cakes
I know Maryland-style crab cakes are the standard and people have such a strong allegiance to Old Bay seasoning, but I don’t use the spice in my version. It’s not that I dislike the seasoning, but when I first began making crab cakes, I didn’t have any on hand and decided I liked the flavor of my version better than anything I had eaten out to dinner.
This, of course, might change in the future but for now I love the delicate, crab-forward flavor of my recipe best. My crab cakes are flavored with a bit minced roasted red pepper, fresh green pepper and a bit of onion along with garlic powder, dried and fresh parsley. I also use pulverized Ritz crackers along with breadcrumbs because it adds a richer, slightly saltier flavor.
I always serve these with Caper Remoulade Sauce or tartar sauce and a lot of fresh lemon wedges.
Crab Cakes Recipe
The best crab cakes that are filled with tons of fresh lump crab and delicate herbs and spices. Perfect for a romantic night or special celebration!
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup mayo, I use Light Hellmann's
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1/4 green pepper, minced
- 1/4 cup roasted red pepper, diced
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, flat or curly, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked salt, or 3 pinches of table salt
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 8 Ritz crackers, finely crushed
- 1 lb crab meat, I use Super Lump
- paprika, to sprinkle
- 4 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, egg, mayo, onion, green pepper, roasted red pepper, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic powder, fresh and dried parsley, oregano, chili powder, salt and pepper, and whisk until combined.
- Add breadcrumb and Ritz crackers to mixture and stir until combined.
- Add crab and gently combine, careful not to break up lumps of crab. I use my hands for this step, but if you used a large spoon, be delicate.
- Using your hands, divide mixture in 4 large or 6 medium balls. Carefully shape each ball into flattened discs, a little less than an inch thick. Lightly sprinkle each disc with paprika - this will help with browning.
- In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add all crab cakes to pan, paprika side down. Sprinkle fresh side with paprika. Lower heat to medium high and cook on each side for 5 - 6 minutes or until browned.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges and tartar or Caper Remoulade Sauce.
Notes
I highly reccomend serving these crab cakes with my favorite Caper Remoulade Sauce.
To Sip
I also highly recommend pairing these crab cakes with Champagne or an extra dry sparkling wine like a Spanish Cava. If bubbles aren’t your thing, try pairing this with a buttery Chardonnay like Rombauer. It will pull together the flavor of the Ritz cracker breadcrumbs and acidic fresh lemon juice very nicely.
Check out more seafood recipes and if you’re celebrating something special make sure to scroll through my favorite holiday recipes.