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Home » Recipes » Seafood Recipes

Easy Crab Cakes Recipe

Published: Aug 26, 2020 · Modified: Aug 3, 2023 by Chef Dennis Littley

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My Jersey Shore Famous Crab Cakes Recipe is made with very little filler and lightly seasoned with old bay, cooked to a golden brown. Every bite is packed with crab meat, and the best part is these delicious crab cakes can be on your dinner table in about 30 minutes.

lump crab cakes split in half showing the crab filling, garnished with a zucchini blossom


 

Whether you serve them at your next date night or dinner party these crab cakes are guaranteed to be the hit of the night!

Table of Contents:
  • Ingredients to make Crab Cakes
  • How to Make the Best Crab Cakes
  • Do I have to put onions and peppers in my crab cakes?
  • What type of crab meat can I use to make crab cakes?
  • How do I make Old Bay Seasoning?
  • Do I have to fry the crab cakes?
  • Quick tarter sauce recipe
  • Recipe FAQ’s
  • More Crabmeat Recipes You’ll Love!
  • Recipe: Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes

Ingredients to make Crab Cakes

overhead view of ingredients ot make crab cakes in glass bowls on a wooden cutting board

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need for my crabcakes. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.

Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

How to Make the Best Crab Cakes

one glass bowl with crabmeat, onion, red pepper, parsley and bread crumbs. Another bowl with the wet ingredients
  • Mix all the ingredients for the crabcakes together, being careful not to break up the lumps of crab meat.
  • Mix the ingredients for the imperial sauce together in another bowl

Some recipes call for a little Dijon mustard in the imperial sauce, feel free to add a teaspoon to the recipe, I sometimes do.

bowl with all the ingredients to make crabcakes on a wooden cutting board
  • Add the imperial sauce to the mixture.

If you like this recipe, you will absolutely love my Crab Imperial Recipe.

crabcake mixture in a glass bowl on a wooden cutting board
  • Gently mix the ingredients together, being careful not to break up the big lumps too much.

Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes to give the bread crumbs time to absorb the liquids.

overhead view of 4 unbreaded crab cakes on a white platter
  • Shape the mixture into portions (feel free to make them as big or small as you like)
overhead view of 4 breaded crab cakes on a white platter
  • Dust the crabcakes with a light coating of breadcrumbs. You can use seasoned breadcrumbs, unseasoned bread crumbs, panko bread crumbs, or cracker crumbs for this crab cake recipe.

*You can even skip the breadcrumbs if you’re cutting back on carbs and simply broil the crab cakes.

overhead shot of 4 crab cakes in a saute pan on a wooden cutting board
  • Add the crabcakes to a hot pan with a little cooking oil to saute the crab cakes.
  • Gently turn them over and saute the other side.
  • Place the finished crab cakes on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 -25 minutes or until an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees is reached.

If they do break apart, you can squeeze them back together gently to reform them. This recipe can also be used for crabcake sliders.

This post includes affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Using a digital instant-read thermometer will help you cook the perfect crab cakes and check the temperatures of everything you cook.

Do I have to put onions and peppers in my crab cakes?

No, you don’t. True Maryland-style crab cakes would not contain either. I like added flavor that the onions give, but in all honesty, the peppers and fresh parsley are just for color.

What type of crab meat can I use to make crab cakes?

Be aware of what part of the world the crab meat is coming from, crabs from the east coast of the US and Gulf of Mexico produce the best crab meat. Crabs from other parts of the world have a different flavor and may come from questionable waters.

The source of crab meat can be from any part of the world that has crabs and includes varieties such as Blue Swimming, Dungeness, Snow, King, and of course, my favorite, Blue Claw (blue swimming is not the same as blue claw).

  • Jumbo lump
  • Lump
  • Backfin
  • Claw
  • Imitation crab meat

How do I make Old Bay Seasoning?

If you can’t find Old Bay at your local grocery store, it’s easy enough to make at home.

  • 1 tablespoon celery salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground bay leaves
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
  • 1 pinch cinnamon
  • 1 pinch ginger

If you’d rather not make the seasoning, you can always use the recipe as a guideline and use seasonings that you enjoy eating with seafood.

Do I have to fry the crab cakes?

No, you don’t. They bake up nicely with or without the final bread crumb coating and will cook nicely in an Air-Fryer.

whole Crab cakes sitting on a plate with a salad and garnished with a zucchini blossom

Then it’s just a matter of serving them up with your favorite side dish and enjoying a restaurant-style dinner that would have cost you a lot more if you had gone to eat. Serve with lemon wedges, tartar sauce, or hot sauce, and enjoy the Best Crab Cakes you’ll ever make at home!

Quick tarter sauce recipe

You can whip together a delicious homemade tartar sauce in a matter of minutes. Simply blend 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish, 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. If you’re feeling fancy, add 1 teaspoon of chopped capers and any of your favorite herbs. With these additions, you’ve made a basic remoulade.

Recipe FAQ’s

Is it better to fry or bake crab cakes?

You can either bake or fry these crabcakes. My personal preference is to saute them because I can cook them long enough to get a good color and freeze them for later dinners when I don’t feel like cooking. But if you’re trying to save calories, baking them is a good option.

What keeps crab cakes from falling apart?

Refrigerating the crabcakes before cooking is the secret to keeping them from falling apart while they’re cooking. Make sure to cover the uncooked crabcakes with plastic wrap and chill them for one to three hours before cooking.

Why are my crabcakes mushy?

Too much filler will result in mush crabcakes. You should only use just enough bread crumbs to help hold the crab cakes together.

What is crab cake filler made of?

Crab cake filler is generally bread crumbs but can also be made with saltine cracker crumbs and unsalted cracker crumbs.

More Crabmeat Recipes You’ll Love!

  • overhead shot of baked crab imperial on a white plate with sauteed greens and roasted potatoes
    Maryland Style Jumbo Lump Crab Imperial
  • Lobster stuffed with crab Imperial
    Stuffed Lobster Tail
  • 2 Maryland crab cakes on a white plate
    Best Maryland Crab Cakes Recipe (Little Filler)
  • baked stuffed salmon with potatoes and green beans
    Crab Stuffed Salmon

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one crab cake next to a salad with zucchini blossoms on a clear plate

Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes

Chef Dennis Littley
Making crab cakes with my recipe is really easy and makes any night into a special occasion.  Whether you pan fry them or broil them your family is sure to love them. 
4.93 from 97 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Entree
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 342 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Imperial Sauce

  • ½ cup Hellmann's mayonnaise
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
  • 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 squeeze fresh lemon juice

Crab cakes

  • 1 lb crab meat jumbo lump, lump or claw, wild caught
  • 1 tablespoon onions finely chopped (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon roasted red peppers or fresh red peppers finely chopped finely chopped (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon Italian parsley finely chopped
  • ¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs or plain bread crumbs

Instructions
 

Imperial Sauce

  • In small bowl add the mayonnaise, and egg and mix together well. Then add the sugar, Old Bay, Worcestershire and lemon juice, mix well.

Crab cakes

  • Mix crab meat, chopped parsley, onion, and peppers together. Gently mix them do not break up lump crab meat.
  • Add the imperial sauce to the crab meat and mix together gently, add the bread crumbs and work them into the mixture.
  • Allow this mixture to sit for about 10 minutes, the bread crumbs will soak up any extra liquid so you can easily form the crab cakes
  • Divide the crab meat mixture into 8 small or 4 large crabcake
  • If you are frying the crab cakes, lightly coat the crab cake in panko bread crumbs, and sauté in olive oil until golden brown on both sides. Place in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
    If you'd prefer you can also bake them in a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes. With or without the panko bread crumb exterior.

Notes

**If you are broiling the crab cakes, place them directly into a baking dish with a little bit of water in the dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. (when I broiled them at the restaurant they got a little butter on the top of each before baking)

Nutrition

Calories: 342kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 24gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 112mgSodium: 1300mgPotassium: 268mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 255IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 79mgIron: 1.6mg
Tried this recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askchefdennis or tag #askchefdennis!

Comments

    4.93 from 97 votes (52 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Jason says

    March 22, 2025 at 9:12 pm

    5 stars
    Fast, easy, and spectacular. Highly recommend. Used the Costco lump fresh wild crab. The cakes were top notch (made 4 large) and used red onion but no peppers. Paired with Brussels sprouts and Chardonnay but would be interested in adding a sauce. What would be the ideal sauce to use on these and roasted vegetables?

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      March 23, 2025 at 8:03 am

      Depending on your taste preference either my cocktail sauce or tarter sauce would go with the crabcakes. As for the brussels sprouts, you can toss them with a balsamic glaze (most grocery stores sell it) and add a bacon and leeks to the pan to roast with them. As for a sauce for the sprouts, I think the only sauce I would add is a cheese sauce, but I think if you use the glaze you won’t need it.

      Reply
  2. Meg says

    March 18, 2025 at 6:19 pm

    5 stars
    Made it tonight! it was ore than enough fir 6 nice size cakes. I lived the red peppers and onions. I baked to 20 minutes without sauting, but next time I’ll try sauting. thanks for sharing the recipe Chef Dennis!!!

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      March 19, 2025 at 8:53 am

      You are very welcome, and I’m glad you enjoyed my crab cake recipe.

      Reply
  3. Matt says

    March 09, 2025 at 6:10 pm

    5 stars
    Fantastic recipe. I was a cook for a long time, I make many things well at home (often better than going to a restaurant). I’ve always struggled to make good crab cakes at home. This recipe is the one.

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      March 10, 2025 at 7:27 am

      That’s what I like to hear! Thanks for letting me know you both enjoyed my crab cake recipe, it was always a big hit in my restaurant days.

      Reply
  4. Heidi Culver says

    February 20, 2025 at 12:31 am

    5 stars
    These were amazingly tasty! I replaced the panko with fried pork skin, green onion for onion, no red pepper, and dried parsley. I then poured the whole bowl into a square baking pan and baked it at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Amazing! Scooped bits off with more chicharrones! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      February 20, 2025 at 9:26 am

      Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed my recipe. Pork skin sounds like an interesting addition and making it more like a dip is a delicious way to serve it, especially with chicharron dippers.

      Reply
  5. Judith says

    December 28, 2024 at 8:18 am

    These are not “Maryland style”! We would never put onions and peppers in crabcakes– it buries the taste of the crab!

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      December 28, 2024 at 8:54 am

      Too bad you didn’t read the post. I don’t call them Maryland crabcakes, they are Jersey Shore crabcakes. I also make mention that for Maryland crabcakes you don’t add onions peppers.

      Reply
  6. Cathy says

    November 23, 2024 at 4:58 pm

    5 stars
    Just made these tonight and they were excellent. I did substitute crushed saltines for the panko since I didn’t have panko.
    This will be my go to recipe from now on and I will definitely share with friend and family. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      November 24, 2024 at 7:19 pm

      I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the crabcakes. Crushed saltines or ritz crackers are a nice change of pace from the panko bread crumbs.

      Reply
  7. John Rhoe says

    November 22, 2024 at 7:41 am

    5 stars
    I have searched for a good crab cake recipe for years and now I have it!

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      November 22, 2024 at 8:54 am

      I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my crab cake recipe, it was always a big hit during my restaurant years.

      Reply
  8. Celia says

    June 15, 2024 at 1:53 pm

    Can these be prepared a day ahead of time, but adding the breadcrumbs just before baking so that they remain crisp? My concern is the mixture will become soggy, but I really would like to make the most of my time since I have a large crowd coming over.

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      June 15, 2024 at 2:02 pm

      These are pan fried, and can be browned, cooled and refrigerated the day before. Reheat in the oven for 25 minutes at 350 degrees when ready to serve. Use a instant read thermometer to make sure they are at least 165 degrees before serving.

      Reply
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My name is Chef Dennis Littley, creator and owner of Ask Chef Dennis Productions. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

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