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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This was a delicious sauce and crab cake ! Thank you for sharing! It will be on a regular rotation.
This recipe is a 10000/10 recipe! So so easy to follow and the flavors are just mind blowing! I increased the amount of panko slightly as I was afraid it would fall apart if I didn’t. Otherwise followed this recipe to the dot and it was a maaaaajor crowd pleaser! First time I’ve ever made crab cakes and most definitely not the last. Thank you!
Delicious
The best!!!!!
Absolutely delicious! Best crab cake recipe ever!!! Thank you so much Jenn Segal for all your great recipes.
Hey Jennifer, your retired Navy guy here again. I’ve made these several times and they are always great. My wife and her family are all from MD and say these are great. The typical conversation breaks out about celery/tartar sauce blah blah blah. I think I’m going to put an aioli sauce on them. My question, I made a full batch but my kids have canceled. Can I freeze the ones I don’t cook for later or just cook them and figure out other uses? Thanks
Jon
US Navy Retired
Hi Jon, Glad you like them and they inspire a healthy dialogue about celery vs no celery. 😊 I don’t love the way crab freezes, but it is possible. Place them on a baking sheet in the freezer just until firm, about 2 hours. Wrap each cake in plastic wrap and place in a plastic freezer bag. Freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost the crab cakes in the refrigerator overnight before cooking. You can also cook them and then freeze – before eating, just thaw, and reheat them in a 350°F oven for about 7 – 8 min or until heated through. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the response Jennifer, I made three last night and we put the Russian dressing from the Rueben on them. My wife likes two on a bed of greens with roasted potatoes, I had mine sandwich style. So I did not freeze the other three, wrapped them in plastic and have them in the fridge, will make them on Friday so all good. I may try the frozen thing if I make them for a crowd, as a shout out to Jen, I found her site making the “ham and cheese sliders” years ago, if you haven’t tried these your missing out. If you have a crew of adult young ones as I do make two batches there will be no left overs.
Jon
US Navy Retired
The taste is great but they really need to finish in the oven to get them hot in the middle. I had to put them in the oven for 10 minutes to get them hot.
I have made Jenn’s crab cakes several times. Always delicious without any doubt. This time I tried the freezing, then baking method as suggested in the comments. The verdict is… Jenn’s method of pan frying them is preferred for a 5 Star rating.
I also baked the French Apple Cake for St. Valentine’s dessert. Shared it w/ my neighbors. Outstanding. Light and delicate. (be sure to sprinkle a little sugar on top prior to baking, as the added sweetness makes a big difference.) Also, this recipe needs enough apples for the best taste and texture, otherwise it will be bland. Note*
I never hesitate to use one of Jenn’s recipes for company or sharing food with friends, because I am confident of a great outcome that always delivers.
I made your crab cakes for the super bowl party yesterday and received rave reviews from everyone. I doubled the recipe and used crabmeat from Maryland which was caught, cooked, and picked by my brother-in-law. Whenever I go home to southern Maryland, I always take a cooler and bring back crabmeat that he freezes for me! I made cream of crab soup with it on Christmas Eve, and still had enough crabmeat left to make crab cakes for the party. I followed your recipe, but I put them in the freezer on the foil covered cookie sheets for a couple hours before I brushed them with melted butter and baked them at 375 degrees for about 30-35 minutes. (This way you don’t have to turn them…..perfect every time)! We put them on slider rolls to serve with tartar sauce…..YUM!! Thank you Jen! Another PERFECT recipe!!
It`s Dungeness Crab season again here in Nor-Cal,we always get extra to make this recipe 2-3 times every year b/c it`s the best recipe,simple and delicious without filler to let crab shine.A total keeper we go to again and again as well as the tartar sauce.Thanks for this one Jenn.