A good crab cake recipe doesn’t hide the crab—it celebrates it. While some versions load the patties with soaked white bread, crushed saltines, Ritz cracker crumbs, or other fillers, this one puts the crab meat front and center. Chesapeake Bay jumbo lump blue crab is the traditional seafood used in Baltimore-style crab cakes, but most varieties will do, as well as whatever grade fits your budget, including backfin or regular lump.
You will need just enough breadcrumbs in the filling to give the crab cakes structure and a little more to coat them, which helps form their crispy surface. We prefer Japanese-style panko breadcrumbs, which are less dense than Italian-style and make for a lighter, airier patty. (Need a gluten-free crab cake? Our friends at Epicurious have you covered.)
We like these on a bed of lettuce, accompanied by nothing more than a spritz of lemon juice (and perhaps a dash of hot sauce), but you could certainly pair them with cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, or remoulade if you’re so inclined.
Note: For smaller, appetizer-size portions, use an ice cream scoop to portion the crab mixture into 1"–2" patties.
Recipe information
Total Time
40 minutes (includes chilling)
Yield
6 servings
Ingredients
¼
2
1
1
2
1½
½
1
1¼
1
¼
¼
1
2
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Stir ¼ cup mayonnaise, 2 medium scallions, thinly sliced, 1 large egg, 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice, 1½ tsp. Old Bay seasoning, and ½ medium jalapeño, seeded, finely chopped, in a large bowl to combine. Gently fold in 1 lb. crabmeat, picked over, ¾ cup panko, 1 Tbsp. thinly sliced fresh chives, ¼ tsp. kosher salt and ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper. Divide crab mixture into 6 equal portions and form into 1”-thick patties. Place onto a large plate or parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered for at least 10 minutes and up to overnight.
Step 2
Line a large serving platter with the leaves of 1 medium head Bibb lettuce. Place remaining ½ cup panko in a shallow dish; dredge crab cakes panko, covering all sides with the breadcrumbs. Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches as needed and adding more vegetable oil as needed, fry crab cakes until golden brown and crisp, flipping halfway though, 3–4 minutes per side. Arrange on top of lettuce leaves and serve with lemon wedges.
Editor’s note: This recipe for Baltimore crab cakes was first printed in our August 2011 issue. Head this way for more of our favorite recipes for summer →