These Maryland-style broiled crab cakes are the real deal. With simple ingredients and very little filler, you'll love the combination of a crisp crust with a tender center that lets the lump crab flavor shine. This classic seafood dinner tastes restaurant-quality with a wildly easy cooking method.
My husband's a Marylander who spent time working in a dock bar back home, so matters of seafood, specifically crab, are fine-tuned in our house.
When he wasn't working the never-ending conveyer belt of hot crab dip or slinging pounds of steamed shrimp, he was taking an army of crab cakes (one for a sandwich, two for an entree) for a spin under the broiler. This is our far-from-the-Chesapeake-Bay house crab cake recipe, based on that one.
You likely know the deal of what's considered a good crab cake: very little filler. That's true, but we abide by a few extra commandments in our house:
- Crab cakes are broiled. This incredibly easy crab cake cooking method allows crab and the other simple ingredients to shine, with no oily fried flavor to get in the way. Plus there are no worries about cakes falling apart while pan-frying.
- Saltines make the best filler. Breadcrumbs just...lack oomph here. Saltines crush finely, add subtle but present flavor, and hold the cakes together just the right amount.
- Crab cakes are rounded, not flat. Shape them in big lumps and slap them down on the pan - that's it! Flattening will form a dense cake and break up those beautiful lumps of crab meat.
- Don't use all jumbo lump. Alluring on a restaurant menu, using all jumbo lump crabmeat can lead to cakes that don't hold together as well and (IMO) is a little overkill. Jumbo lump is also way pricier, so save yourself some money by mixing it with regular lump.
- No green ingredients. This may be controversial, but nothing green, like bell pepper, dill, or even parsley inside to be a competing flavor.
Crab Cake Ingredients
This is just an overview - all of the specific measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Crab meat: You'll need one pound of lump crab meat for this recipe (more on the types you'll find available below). I consider crab cakes to be a special meal at home (a.k.a. something I don't make all the time) so I'll go with a mix of lump and jumbo lump to fancy them up a little bit. All lump, no jumbo, is fine, too.
Saltines: Crushed up saltine crackers make perfect crab cake filler. They smash up nice and evenly, provide their own subtle flavor, and along with the Old Bay add a good amount of salt.
Seasonings: Easy does it with Old Bay and white pepper. White pepper is a little less sharp than black pepper, but you can substitute in black pepper if that's what you have. I don't separately add salt as Old Bay is pretty salty itself.
Note: Some recipes call for adding a teaspoon or two of lemon juice to the crab cake mixture itself, but I find it gets lost when doing so. Instead I like squeezing lemon wedges over top of the broiled crab cakes for a bolder impact.
Purchasing Crab Meat
For homemade crab cakes I buy the 8-ounce tubs of crab meat found in the refrigerated seafood department. Unlike totally fresh crab which is hard-to-impossible to find (and a whole lot of work for crab cakes), these tubs are fresh-packed but then pasteurized and come in multiple varieties. I will get all lump or half lump/half jumbo lump.
Other kinds you might see, like backfin, special, or claw, feature much smaller pieces (backfin, special - good for crab dip) and/or have a stronger flavor (claw) so I skip them for cakes.
As for other packaging types: I haven't used the more inexpensive shelf-stable canned crab meat, found alongside the tuna. Imitation crab/krab will not work for crab cakes.
Preparing Crab Meat for Crab Cakes
Even when buying picked and pasteurized crab meat you'll need to do a little prep work before making crab cakes.
- (Gently) rinse the crab meat. This lessens the briny scent and flavor you'll notice with tubs of crab meat. Turn out the crab into a mesh strainer, draining away the brine. Rinse the crab meat under cool water, turning over the pieces to hit all the surfaces, but use care not to break up the larger pieces of meat. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Pick over the crab. Spread the crab meat out onto a plate and pick out and discard any shell fragments or hard pieces of cartilage. The tubs of crab meat are usually pretty good about having those things mechanically removed during processing, but like sorting rocks from dried lentils, some may slip through the cracks.
And there you go. Place the crab in a medium mixing bowl and continue on with the recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Step 1: Whisk mayo, egg, mustard, Old Bay, and pepper in a smaller bowl, separate from the crab.
- Step 2: Sprinkle the crushed saltines over top of the crab meat.
- Step 3: Gently stir the mayo/egg mixture into the crab meat/saltines until evenly combined. Use care not to break up the pieces of crab.
- Step 4: Scoop the mixture by heaping one-third cups and gently pat into a rounded lump. Place on a greased quarter-sheet pan and chill for one hour.
- Step 5: Broil on the low setting for 10-12 minutes, switching to high for the last minute or so, until golden-brown to your liking. Don't walk away during this time as things can go from to nice and golden to overly toasty in a blink with the broiler.
Serving Suggestions
Like at a restaurant, broiled crab cakes can be served by themselves or as a sandwich. Either way, lemon wedges and a dipping sauce/spread like tartar sauce are popular.
I prefer serving broiled crab cakes with lemon aioli rather than tartar sauce, but that's just a personal preference. If you'd rather go the tartar sauce route, I recommend my half-Greek yogurt homemade tartar sauce recipe. It uses dill relish versus sweet relish - another personal preference. Consider scaling down the recipe as it makes a generous amount.
If serving crab cakes solo, aim for two crab cakes per serving and beef up the sides. A big salad of some kind, whether leafy green, coleslaw, or a marinated cucumber salad with tomatoes, etc., vegetables like corn on the cob (season-permitting) and/or your favorite starchy side, like french fries or sour cream mashed potatoes, beautifully round out the meal.
Crab cake sandwiches are often served on a toasted brioche bun (yum) and kept simple with lettuce, tomato, and a spread - tartar sauce or otherwise.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's not uncommon for tubs of crab meat packaged in brine to have a slightly fishy odor before rinsing, but it should not be overwhelmingly pungent or lean ammonia-like as those are signs of spoilage. Use your best judgment - I experienced this for the first time this year and the best I can describe it is I instinctively knew something wasn't right by how the smell filled the kitchen upon popping the top. I double-bagged it and returned that tub to the store for a refund because crab meat is expensive!
You'll want to grease your sheet pan with cooking spray before broiling crab cakes to prevent them from sticking. Do not use aluminum foil or parchment paper as they're not safe to use under the broiler and risk burning. And make sure whatever dish you're using is broiler-safe, too.
Yes, form crab cakes and refrigerate for up to one day ahead of broiling.
Cover leftover broiled crab cakes with aluminum foil (this prevents them from drying out) and heat in a 350°F oven/toaster oven until the center of the largest crab cake reaches 165°F.
More Favorite Seafood Recipes
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Broiled Crab Cakes
Ingredients
- 16 ounces lump crab meat (all lump or up to 8 ounces jumbo lump)
- ½ cup crushed saltine crackers (about 13 crackers)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper (or ⅛ teaspoon black pepper)
Instructions
- Place crab meat in a large mesh sieve and rinse under cool water. Gently but thoroughly pat dry (don't break up big pieces of meat) and place the crab meat on a plate. Pick through it to remove any pieces of shell or hard cartilage, then place crab meat in a medium-large mixing bowl.
- Add saltine crackers to a sealable plastic bag with all excess air pressed out and go over it with a rolling pin to crush the crackers into a breadcrumb-like consistency. Sprinkle the crushed saltines in the bowl over the crab meat but do not mix it in yet.
- In a separate, medium mixing bowl, add mayonnaise, egg, mustard, Old Bay, Worcestershire, and ground pepper. Whisk very well to combine until the mixture is smooth.
- Pour the liquid over top of the crab meat/saltines. Using a spatula, fold the egg/mayo mixture into the crab/saltines using slow, broad strokes coming up from the bottom of the bowl until everything is evenly dispersed and moistened. Use care to prevent the jumbo lump meat, if using, from breaking apart.
- Grease a 9-by-13-inch sheet pan (quarter sheet) or larger with cooking spray. Divide the crab mixture into six equally-sized crab cakes. I do this by scooping a heaping one-third cup, turning it out into my hands, and lightly pressing it into a round shape. Place the cakes equally-spaced on the sheet pan, ensuring the bottoms are flat against the pan but they still maintain their rounded tops - don't flatten them!
- Drape plastic wrap over top of the sheet pan and refrigerate crab cakes for at least one hour, up to overnight, to help them hold together.
- When ready to cook, remove and discard the plastic wrap. Arrange an oven rack to be in the upper two-thirds of the oven, then set the oven to the low broil setting. Let it heat for several minutes, then place in the pan of crab cakes. Broil on low for 10-12 minutes, switching to high for the last 1-2 minutes to achieve a golden-brown coloring to your liking. Keep a close eye as timing may vary. Serve with lemon wedges, toasted brioche buns, tartar sauce, and/or lemon aioli.
Notes
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
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