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.
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.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Maryland Crab Cakes
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.
Mix well to combine.
Add the crab meat (be sure to check the meat for any hard and sharp cartilage) and panko.
Gently fold the mixture together until just combined, being careful not to shred the crab meat.
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.
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.
Flip and cook 3 to 5 minutes more, or until golden. Be careful as the oil may splatter.
Make the Tartar Sauce
Combine the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, sweet pickle relish, red onion, lemon, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Whisk well, then cover and chill until ready to serve.
Video Tutorital
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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.
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
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Note: The nutritional information does not include the tartar sauce.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- 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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Wow! Delicious! Tasted like it was made in a restaurant. I made 12 small crab cakes, as I was concerned that thick crab cakes would not be cooked thoroughly. I also wanted smaller portions. I was amazed that the tartar sauce tasted so good. I did buy the expensive crab at Whole Foods as Jen recommended, and would say that the quality of crab is very important in how this tastes.
Wow. I am a very picky crab cake lover and these were AMAZING! My boyfriend lives on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and we literally met his friend as he was pulling his boat up to the dock to pick up the crab we used for these (how lucky are we!?) we had left over from a crab feast (again, lucky us) and decided to pick the remaining crabs and make cakes. I have some pretty good recipes, but was looking for something different, this was it! I made them almost as written, I like just crab in my cakes, so I substituted the celery w/celery seed. My boyfriend, also a crab cake lover, said these were the BEST he’d ever had and that’s saying something. Since it was just the two of us, I had enough that I also stuffed 6 big mushrooms with the same mixture and topped them w/buttered Panko/Parm mixture. They were also AMAZING! my new favorite Crab Cake recipe! thank you!
How long are these good for after cooking in the fridge
They’ll keep nicely in the fridge for up to 2 days. Hope that helps!
This looks like a great recipe! Out of curiosity, has anyone tried making these and then rewarm them the next day? I was just wondering if I could save some extras for lunch the next day or if should cut the recipe in half. Thanks in advance!
Hi Emily, They reheat beautifully in the oven.
Delicious crab cakes- I followed recipe exactly and they came out perfectly. I made 8 out of the recipe and served two each to our family of four. The tartar sauce was a big hit. Will make this again. Another recipe that makes me look good 🙂
I made these using fresh-caught crabs from the Chesapeake Bay Eastern Shore. I hand-picked the crabs myself. All of us loved them!
Jenn,
I’m a very picky crab cake person. This is my perfect recipe!!! We lived in Richmond, Va and there was a restaurant called “The Frog and the Redneck.” They had a crab cake ever that was my all time favorite. I have found a recipe just like it!! Thank you!!!
If we can’t find fresh crab meat in East Texas may we substitute canned crab meat. Thank you.
Hi Shirley, These are definitely best with fresh crab, but if you can’t find it, canned will work. Hope you enjoy!
Excellent! Followed recipe to the letter. Except, we used a chipotle mayo for sauce. Will definitely make this again and again.
This was awesome. I am a novice at crab cakes. I did put a a pinch of green onions. I also did 2 Tablespoons of low fat mayonnaise and,1/2 Tablespoon of full fat mayonnaise. This cut calories.
These are excellent! I did not change a thing to the crab cakes. I did serve on a bed of slaw and a Ravigote sauce recipe from Brennan’s in NOLA. I never stray from your recipes because they are always spot on when they hit the table! Thank you so much!