Looking for the perfect Crab Cake Recipe?
Atop a juicy beef filet or passed around as hors d'oeuvres, crab cakes are as delicious as they are versatile. And, for such a sophisticated dish, crab cakes are surprisingly simple — but only if you follow the right steps.
Crab Cake Recipe
Try a new twist on crab cakes starring our extra large king crab, sweet corn kernels, and your favorite seafood seasoning. Whisk together a citrus aioli for drizzling and enjoy some of your favorite summer flavors—anytime, anywhere!
Makes about 6-8 crab cakes
Time:
- 25 minutes prep
- 30 minutes chilling
- 20 minutes cooking
- 1 hour 15 minutes total
Crab Cake Recipe Ingredients
For the crab cakes
- 2 pounds of Extra Large Red King Crab Legs, thawed
- 1 egg
- 1 cup sweet corn kernels—fresh, canned, or frozen (thawed)—drained well
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons of your favorite seafood seasoning
- 1 cup bread crumbs (Panko or regular), more or less
- All purpose flour for dredging
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
For the citrus tartar sauce
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 to 2 teaspoons of AKC "Just Add Butter" Seafood Seasoning more or less to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
For the seafood aioli
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 to 2 teaspoons of your favorite seafood seasoning, more or less to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Crab Cake Recipe Instructions
- Make the tartar sauce – In a small bowl, stir together mayo, lemon juice, AKC "Just Add Butter" Seafood Seasoning, pickle relish, and salt. Taste and adjust seasoning/citrus level to your liking. Cover and place in fridge. (Feel free to make this a day or two ahead.)
- Make the seafood aioli – In another small bowl, stir together mayo, lime juice and your favorite seafood seasoning. Taste and adjust seasoning/citrus level to your liking. Cover and place in fridge. (Feel free to make this a day or two ahead.)
- Prep the crab – Cut crab legs open using your AKC Stainless Steel Kitchen Shears. Remove meat and roughly chop. Set aside.
- Mix the crab cakes—In a medium bowl, beat egg vigorously with a whisk. Add drained corn, crab meat, mayonnaise, and your favorite seafood seasoning, then mix gently with hands until well combined. (Try not to break up the lumps of crab meat.) Add in just enough bread crumbs so that cakes hold together, less is more here.
- Shape the crab cakes—Divide crab mixture to make 6 to 8 evenly sized balls (roughly 1/2 cup each). Flatten to form patties. Refrigerate covered for 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours).
- Prepare to cook—Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Cook the crab cakes—Lightly dredge patties in flour on both sides and transfer to skillet, working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Cook until underside is nicely browned, about 4 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until brown on both sides, another 4 minutes or so. Add another tablespoon of oil to skillet and repeat with remaining patties.
- Garnish and serve—Add a sprinkling of sea salt to the top of each crab cake. Drizzle with aioli and serve with tartar sauce on the side for dipping. Garnish serving plate with sprigs of fresh parsley or cilantro, along with lime or lemon wedges.
Crab Cake Tips
Whether you serve them as an impressive appetizer or a dinner for two, follow these five tips for making the perfect crab cakes.
Tip #1: Consider your crab.
There are several different crab varieties that can be turned into crab cakes.
If you’ve purchased lump crab from the store or eaten restaurant crab cakes, there’s a good chance you ate blue crab. As you may have guessed by the name, blue crabs have bright blue claws and are primarily found near the eastern shore of Maryland. Out on the opposite coast, Dungeness crabs are known for their impressive size.
Another alternative that can be used to create a sumptuous, slightly sweeter crab cake is Jonah crab claw meat. Naturally lean, low in calories and bursting with a unique flavor, Jonah crab claw meat is perfect for mixing into a crab cake.
Tip #2: Quality counts.
The number one indicator of how tasty your crab cakes will be is the freshness of your crab. And when it comes to quality control — you guessed it — the fresher, the better. Although it is possible to make crab cakes with canned crab meat, there is a NOTICEABLE difference in taste when you use fresh and flash-frozen crab meat. This is not the place to cut corners.
Tip #3: Less filler. More crab.
Let your star ingredient shine bright! For the best texture, use minimal fillers (i.e., the ingredients that hold the crab together, like mayonnaise and cracker crumbs).
There is a hot debate surrounding the use of bread crumbs versus cracker crumbs. We use bread crumbs in this recipe.
Tip #4: Don’t overmix.
When it’s time to mix the filler with the crab meat, don’t overdo it. Gently fold in the crab meat, without ever harshly pressing down. If you overmix, the pieces of crab will break apart — and you want full, juicy crab cakes!
Tip #5: Turn up the heat.
When it comes to baking in the oven vs. sautéing on the stove, there’s really no wrong way to cook your crab cakes. People do both! It comes down to personal preference.
If you’re working with bigger, jumbo-sized pieces of crab, you’ll likely want to bake in the oven. This will help the cakes remain plump and juicy (whereas those that are pan-fried get a bit flattened in order to make the center cook evenly — a process that can make bigger crab chunks fall to pieces).
Whether you bake or pan-fry, having your heat high enough is important if you want to achieve that delightful crunch on the outermost part of the cake. For this recipe we recommend pan frying but if you prefer to oven cook, just set your oven to 450 degrees.
Good news: Crab cakes actually make great leftovers — so go ahead and make a double batch!
Tip #6 Chill Out!
Freshly made crab cakes tend to fall apart while cooking. Be sure to give them time to firm up in the fridge before pan frying.
Tip #7 Form your crab cakes into even portions.
To ensure equal sizes and an even cook, dip up portions of crab cake mixture using an ice cream scoop, then gently shape into patties.
