Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Oh so fresh with the lemon and herbs which complement the delicate crab flavor brilliantly. Texture: If you use high quality crab meat you should end up with crab cakes that are filled with big meaty chunks of crab which is just heavenly. So much better than restaurant crab cakes which are basically just breadcrumbs and filling with almost no crab. Ease: The crab cakes can be mixed and assembled ahead of time to be cooked off later. The sauce can also be made ahead of time. Appearance: Homemade crab cakes may not look as perfect as restaurant or store-bought ones but they definitely taste delicious. Pros: Can be served as either an appetizer or meal and are fabulous either way. I also love that you can make these ahead of time. Cons: None. Would I make this again? Oh yes.This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
A simple crab cake recipe bursting with chunks of crab meat and lots of fresh flavor.
In the past two weeks I’ve spent some time near water, which you may know if you follow me on Instagram. However, both instances were unlike any mass of water I’ve been to before. They both were large lakes in the Midwest that were beautiful, clean, and had ocean-like beaches. I’ve never experienced anything like that before in a place that wasn’t coastal. It’s pretty wonderful.
What’s your favorite body of water to visit?
The sparkling water had me craving seafood, even if it wasn’t necessarily the sea. Let’s face it though, I’m almost always craving seafood because I simply LOVE the stuff. My love for seafood can sometimes get in the way of my enjoyment of certain restaurant dishes that tend to skimp on the seafood. I just had a “lobster” mac & cheese at an otherwise wonderful restaurant but couldn’t find a single piece of lobster, which is why I make lobster mac and cheese myself. This is also often the case with crab cakes. Usually they are loaded with fillers and the actual crab meat is almost nonexistent. I consider that to be a culinary travesty which is why I had to share with you my favorite way to make crab cakes. These babies are stuffed with big chunks of crab meat and lots of fresh ingredients which lend incredible flavor. You’ll love ’em!
Thanks to Anderson Seafoods for the crab!
Crab Cakes with Lemon Herb Sauce
Ingredients
For the crab cakes:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 teaspoon (or more) Sriracha
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/3 cup dry plain breadcrumbs
- 1 pound high quality lump crabmeat, picked over
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Lettuce leaves, for serving
For the lemon-herb sauce:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh chives
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, chives, parsley, Old Bay seasoning, egg, lemon juice, and red pepper. Season to taste pepper (you shouldn’t need salt because the Old Bay seasoning has salt). Gently fold in the breadcrumbs and crab, being careful not to break up the crab pieces.
- Form into 4 patties that are about 3 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches tall. Place on a parchment linked baking sheet, wrap with plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
- Place the flour in a shallow dish and lightly dredge each crab cake in the flour. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Gently place each cake in the skillet and fry until golden brown and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Serve immediately with lettuce and sauce.
I am going to make this later today – but I am wondering about the recipe. In the directions for the crab cake, you have to add red pepper. But in the ingredients list, I do not see red pepper. Is this red pepper flakes, red ground pepper, or red sweet peppers?
We do not eat any shell fish but I bet this would be wonderful for Salmon as well.
I made these last night and wanted to say thank you for such an easy and awesome recipe. Aside from adjusting the salt a bit, these came out perfectly and it was my first attempt at crab cakes!
I love crab cakes and I have been really craving them lately. These look perfect, Tessa!
My in-laws live on the Lake of the Ozarks so that’s our favorite…there is great shopping there to 🙂
This looks so delicious. I’m a huge fan of crab cakes!
I’d love to make this, but I confess to never using lump crab meat before. Maybe I’ll have to stretch my cooking boundaries again because these look amazing!
Definitely will be trying these! I need a crab cake recipe in my skill set ASAP!
These sound incredible!! I love a good crab cake!