How to make crab cakes
If you’ve never experienced the deliciousness of crab cakes, then you are missing out on an incredible seafood dish.
I mean, what could possibly be better than mouth-watering Maryland crab meat mixed with breadcrumbs and spices?
Crab cakes are an ideal dish for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They can be served as an entrée or as a starter to compliment a meal. Crab cakes are rich in protein and super easy to prepare.
Learning how to make crab cakes is simple and we pride ourselves on being pretty good at it here at Cameron’s Seafood. This blog post will teach you how to make crab cakes that are as tasty as they are easy to make.
We always recommend using Maryland crab meat to prepare crab cakes as the meat is juicy and fresh, caught straight from the Chesapeake Bay. While we are evidently biased in our recommendation, we shamelessly stand by our passion for Maryland blue crabs.
Feel free to try our Maryland crabs and let us know what you think of them!
Ingredients Required to Make Crab Cakes:
First and foremost, the key to making the best crab cakes is mastering the ratio of crab to binder. The binder of a crab cake is the mixture of breadcrumbs and other non-crab ingredients used to bind the cake together (hence the name).
A simple rule of thumb for perfecting this ratio is as follows: don’t skimp out on the crab meat! Remember that the binder is intended primarily for binding the crab cake together, and providing a bit of flavor, but the crab meat should be the predominant flavor.
According to The Guardian, crab cakes were initially invented by European settlers who, due to the labor involved with harvesting crabs, would mix small portions of crab with bread crumbs to try to maximize the lifespan of their food rations. As crab meat is more readily accessible in today’s age, we suggest to treat yourself and load up the crab cake with meat!
As mentioned above, we recommend using Maryland crab meat to make crab cakes. For the binder, we recommend using panko breadcrumbs. There are alternative options such as flour-based crab cakes, but we find that breadcrumbs provide the ideal binding effect and flavor. Breadcrumbs also add an irresistible crunch to the outside of the crab cake. You will also need an egg for the binder.
For flavoring, mustard adds a delicious taste to the mixture. Many recipes will call for Worcestershire sauce or mayonnaise but we tend to avoid these ingredients – we find their flavor a bit overpowering at times.
We definitely recommend adding Old Bay seasoning or Old Bay crab cake mix to the mixture and, if you like spicy food, you can feel free to add a dash of hot pepper sauce!
Other herbs and spices to consider adding to your crab cakes are paprika, parsley and a small pinch of nutmeg.
Instructions on How To Make Crab Cakes:
Now that you’ve assembled all of the required ingredients to make your crab cakes, it’s time to prepare your delicious dish. Crab cakes can be fried, grilled or baked and then grilled. We recommend frying the crab cakes for the best flavor.
Here are the steps involved in making crab cakes:
- Combine breadcrumbs, mustard powder, seasonings and spices into a bowl.
- Add crab meat, being careful not to break up the crab meat chunks too much.
- Slowly add egg and gently mix the contents of the bowl so as to create a mixture that can be formed into crab cakes.
- Form the mixture into thin crab cake servings, adding a thin coating of flour to each side of the cakes. Place the formed cakes into a refrigerator for about 30 minutes to chill.
- Cook crab cakes in a frying pan with vegetable oil or butter (to your preference) on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes per side. Crab cakes are ready when they are crisp on the outside.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
The instructions above provide a general guideline on how to make crab cakes as there are many different ways to make crab cakes.
Check out this Maryland crab cake recipe if you’re looking for a quick and well-rated recipe with specific instructions!
Feel free to keep an eye on our blog as we will be posting crab cake recipes in the future.
Buy Maryland Blue Crab Online:
If you like this blue crab cake recipe, you can follow our preparation guidelines above to make crab cakes for yourself.
If you feel like skipping the cooking and enjoying some of Cameron’s Seafood’s famous Maryland crab cakes, you can order them online here.
Enjoy your crab cakes and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for exclusive deals and giveaways!
About the author
Patterson Watkins is a professional chef with over 17 years of experience. With a robust career in restaurants, contract dining and catering (including 4 Summer Olympic posts preparing food for the athletes!) Patterson joined the Cameron’s Seafood team at the end of 2018 to concoct some delicious recipes with our premium seafood items as the centerpiece.
