Easy Crab Cakes Recipe (2024)

My Jersey Shore Famous Crab Cakes Recipe is made with very little filler and lightly seasoned with old bay, cooked to a golden brown. Every bite is packed with crab meat, and the best part is these delicious crab cakes can be on your dinner table in about 30 minutes.

Whether you serve them at your next date night or dinner party these crab cakes are guaranteed to be the hit of the night!

Ingredients to make Crab Cakes

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need for my crabcakes. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.

Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

How to Make the Best Crab Cakes

• Mix all the ingredients for the crabcakes together, being careful not to break up the lumps of crab meat.
• Mix the ingredients for the imperial sauce together in another bowl

Some recipes call for a little Dijon mustard in the imperial sauce, feel free to add a teaspoon to the recipe, I sometimes do.

• Add the imperial sauce to the mixture.

If you like this recipe, you will absolutely love my Crab Imperial Recipe.

• Gently mix the ingredients together, being careful not to break up the big lumps too much.

Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes to give the bread crumbs time to absorb the liquids.

• Shape the mixture into portions (feel free to make them as big or small as you like)

• Dust the crabcakes with a light coating of breadcrumbs. You can use seasoned breadcrumbs, unseasoned bread crumbs, panko bread crumbs, or cracker crumbs for this crab cake recipe.

*You can even skip the breadcrumbs if you’re cutting back on carbs and simply broil the crab cakes.

• Add the crabcakes to a hot pan with a little cooking oil to saute the crab cakes.
• Gently turn them over and saute the other side.
• Place the finished crab cakes on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 -25 minutes or until an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees is reached.

If they do break apart, you can squeeze them back together gently to reform them. This recipe can also be used for crabcake sliders.

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Using a digital instant-read thermometer will help you cook the perfect crab cakes and check the temperatures of everything you cook.

Do I have to put onions and peppers in my crab cakes?

No, you don’t. True Maryland-style crab cakes would not contain either. I like added flavor that the onions give, but in all honesty, the peppers and fresh parsley are just for color.

What type of crab meat can I use to make crab cakes?

Be aware of what part of the world the crab meat is coming from, crabs from the east coast of the US and Gulf of Mexico produce the best crab meat. Crabs from other parts of the world have a different flavor and may come from questionable waters.

The source of crab meat can be from any part of the world that has crabs and includes varieties such as Blue Swimming, Dungeness, Snow, King, and of course, my favorite, Blue Claw (blue swimming is not the same as blue claw).

• Jumbo lump
• Lump
• Backfin
• Claw
• Imitation crab meat

How do I make Old Bay Seasoning?

If you can’t find Old Bay at your local grocery store, it’s easy enough to make at home.

• 1 tablespoon celery salt
• 2 teaspoons ground bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• 1 pinch ginger

If you’d rather not make the seasoning, you can always use the recipe as a guideline and use seasonings that you enjoy eating with seafood.

Do I have to fry the crab cakes?

No, you don’t. They bake up nicely with or without the final bread crumb coating and will cook nicely in an Air-Fryer.

Then it’s just a matter of serving them up with your favorite side dish and enjoying a restaurant-style dinner that would have cost you a lot more if you had gone to eat. Serve with lemon wedges, tartar sauce, or hot sauce, and enjoy the Best Crab Cakes you’ll ever make at home!

Quick tarter sauce recipe

You can whip together a delicious homemade tartar sauce in a matter of minutes. Simply blend 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish, 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. If you’re feeling fancy, add 1 teaspoon of chopped capers and any of your favorite herbs. With these additions, you’ve made a basic remoulade.

Recipe FAQ’s

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