Maryland Crab Cakes with Quick Tartar Sauce

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A Maryland staple, these crab cakes are made from fresh lump crab meat and just enough filler to bind the crabmeat together.

Plate of Crab Cakes with tartar sauce.

Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)

When you live in Maryland, eating Chesapeake blue crabs and crab cakes is practically a religion—and, in my family, we are all loyal devotees. Every summer, we hit all of our favorite crab shacks, from local joints all the way to the Eastern shore, where you can look out over the bay and put your feet in the sand.

I’d never attempt making steamed blue crabs at home. Live crabs, giant steamers—yikes! But I do often make crab cakes, which are just as delicious and easier to prepare (not to mention eat). The key is using fresh lump crabmeat and just enough filler to bind the crabmeat together. I love them with tartar sauce, but you could also serve them with lemon wedges or cocktail sauce. Don’t forget the peel-and-eat shrimp, hush puppies, and cornbread.

What You’ll Need To Make Maryland Crab Cakes

Crab cake Ingredients including panko, mayonnaise, and Worcestershire sauce.

It’s very important to use fresh, good-quality lump crab meat. Look for fresh-off-the-boat crab meat, which is sold in a clear plastic container, usually resting on ice in the seafood department. It’s expensive, but one pound is enough to make six generous crab cakes (or 12 mini ones).

If fresh lump crab meat is not available, the second-best option is refrigerated crab meat, such as Phillip’s, which is readily available year-round. Avoid shelf-stable canned crab meat, which contains additives that affect the taste and texture of the meat. (For a less expensive alternative to crab cakes, or when fresh crab meat is not in season, try fresh salmon cakes.)

Note that celery is not traditional in Maryland crab cakes, but I love the little crunch it adds; feel free to leave it out if you’re a purist.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Make the Crab Cakes

To begin, combine the eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, salt, celery, and parsley in a bowl.

ingredients in bowl

Mix well to combine.

Egg and mayonnaise mixture in a bowl.

Add the crab meat (be sure to check the meat for any hard and sharp cartilage) and panko.

crab meat and Panko

Gently fold the mixture together until just combined, being careful not to shred the crab meat.

Crab mixture in a glass bowl.

Shape into 6 large crab cakes (about ½ cup each) and place on a baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This is really important to help the crab cakes set.

ready to bake

Preheat a large nonstick pan to medium heat and coat with oil. When the oil is hot, place crab cakes in the pan and cook until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes.

frying in pan

Flip and cook 3 to 5 minutes more, or until golden. Be careful as the oil may splatter.

Crab cakes in a skillet.

Make the Tartar Sauce

tartar sauce ingredients

Combine the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, sweet pickle relish, red onion, lemon, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

Bowl of unmixed tartar sauce ingredients.

Whisk well, then cover and chill until ready to serve.

Glass bowl of tartar sauce.

Video Tutorital

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Plate of Crab Cakes with tartar sauce.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)

Maryland Crab Cakes with Quick Tartar Sauce

A Maryland staple, these crab cakes are made from fresh lump crab meat and just enough filler to bind the crabmeat together.

Servings: Makes 6 large crab cakes
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 40 Minutes, plus at least 1 hour to let the crab cakes set

Ingredients

For the Crab Cakes

  • 2 large eggs
  • 2½ tablespoons mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
  • 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup finely diced celery, from one stalk
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 pound lump crab meat (see note below)
  • ½ cup panko
  • Vegetable or canola oil, for cooking

For the Quick Tartar Sauce

  • 1 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
  • 1½ tablespoons sweet pickle relish
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon minced red onion
  • 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

For the Crab Cakes

  1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.
  2. Combine the eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, salt, celery, and parsley in a large bowl and mix well. Add the crab meat (be sure to check the meat for any hard and sharp cartilage) and panko; using a rubber spatula, gently fold the mixture together until just combined, being careful not to shred the crab meat. Shape into 6 cakes (each about ½ cup) and place on the prepared baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This helps them set.
  3. Preheat a large nonstick pan over medium heat and coat with oil. When the oil is hot, place the crab cakes in the pan and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Be careful as oil may splatter. Serve the crab cakes warm with the tartar sauce.

For the Quick Tartar Sauce

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, relish, mustard, onion, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
  2. Make-Ahead Instructions: The crab cakes can be formed, covered, and refrigerated a day ahead of time before cooking. The tartar sauce can be made and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance.
  3. Note: If you can only find jumbo lump crab meat, you may need to break the pieces up a bit. If the clumps are too large, the crab cakes won't hold together well.
  4. Note: The nutritional information does not include the tartar sauce.

Pair with

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Serving size: 2 crab cakes
  • Calories: 299
  • Fat: 14 g
  • Saturated fat: 3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 9 g
  • Sugar: 1 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 32 g
  • Sodium: 1141 mg
  • Cholesterol: 275 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • Can I freeze 1/2 of crab cakes

    • — Jacqueline Kay Burchett
    • Reply
    • Hi Jacqueline, I generally am not crazy about the way crab freezes, but a number of readers have mentioned that they have frozen them successfully, so you could definitely give it a try. Hope that helps!

  • Jenn, if you opt for baking these instead of frying, what temp, how long and do you flip them? Thanks, carol

    • Hi Carol, I’d suggest you use a combination of baking and broiling; bake them in a 350-degree oven on a lightly greased baking sheet for about twenty minutes, or until hot (and it’s not necessary to flip them). Then I’d slide them under the broiler for about a minute to get them golden brown on top. Enjoy!

  • Hello…. I’ve never made crab cakes before and last night I made your delicious recipe! Everyone kept complimenting on tasty they were ……. thank you for sharing, this will be placed in my recipe box now 👍🏻😀😋

  • Omg these were an absolute hit for my friends on Sunday. The room got quiet and all you could hear was mmm sounds. Super simple. I followed the recipe to the letter. Don’t change a thing and you will get mere perfection! Days later and my friends are still talking about these crab cakes.

  • I have never made crab cakes before but these were restaurant quality! Sooooo good!

  • I’m from Maryland, and this recipe is one if the BEST we’ve had for a long time! Perfect proportions and seasoning.
    We prefer ours broiled, so I used traditional bread crumbs instead of Panko, a little melted butter on top, then broil for 12-15 minutes. Perfect!

  • I made these crab cakes tonight for a crowd and they were by far the best crab cakes I have ever made. The ingredients did not compete or overtake the crab. It was delicate, held together well and was tasty. Great recipe and I will use it every time I make crab cakes in the future.

    • — Frankie Crawford
    • Reply
  • These are so good!!! I’ve been wanting crab cakes for some time and thought about going out at first. Glad I didn’t!!

  • I had been searching for the perfect simple but delicious crab cake recipe until I found once upon a chef. Your recipes are amazing! These are easy to make and very delicious. I’ve impressed quite a few palates so I’m definitely buying the cookbook.

  • hi, Do you reheat crab cakes in the oven or in frying pan? Thanks, jane

    • Hi Jane, I’d reheat them in a 350°F oven for 10 – 15 min. Enjoy!

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