Crab Cakes
INGREDIENTS
- 1/3 c. mayonnaise
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp. hot sauce
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb. jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for shells
- 3/4 c. panko bread crumbs (or saltines)
- 2 tbsp. Freshly Chopped Parsley
- Canola oil, for frying
- Lemon wedges, for serving
- Tartar sauce, for serving
DIRECTIONS
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, egg, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, and hot sauce, and season with salt and pepper.
- In a medium bowl, stir together crabmeat, panko, and parsley. Fold in mayo mixture, then form into 8 patties.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, coat pan with oil and heat until shimmering. Add crab cakes and cook, in batches, until golden and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
- Serve with lemon and tartar sauce.
Notes
Crab cakes are always in the appetizers sections of fancy seafood restaurants. So a lot of people are intimidated to make them at home. DON'T BE. They're so easy, literally anyone can do it. Here's everything you need to know.
You should use mayo. It's the perfect binder, and its subtle creaminess won't compete with the crab. In fact, it lets the crab meat shine! Mayo haters, we promise that you won't be able to identify and taste the mayo here. But if you're seriously stubborn and just cant get yourself to do it, you can use Greek yogurt instead.
Hot sauce + Worcestershire + Dijon = MAJOR upgrades. The taste of crab isn't particularly strong. It needs a little oomph to wake it up. Enter this trio of bold condiments. A little bit goes a long way.
Which kind of crabmeat should I use? Jumbo lump if you can! This meat comes from two large muscles and is known for its bright white color and superior taste. It's also made up of bigger chunks, instead of shredded smaller bits. If you can't find jumbo (or don't want to splurge on it), use lump crabmeat. It's usually a blend of broken jumbo pieces. Back fin meat is often used in Maryland-style crab cakes.
Panko = the best bread crumb. We love the airy crispiness that panko bread crumbs add. But if you only have regular bread crumbs, that works too.
Pan-frying is the way to go. Although you could probably bake these crab cakes, we really recommend searing them in a hot skillet with neutral oil. That crunchy golden crust is half of what makes crab cakes so amazing.
You can make this recipe ahead of time. We definitely recommend cooking them right before serving, but shaped patties hold well in fridge 1 to 2 days when covered well. If you have leftovers (which seems unlikely), they'd make bomb Crab Cake Burgers.
