How to Make Legendary Crab Cakes at Home
Crab cakes are one of those dishes that feel fancy but are super simple to make at home. They’re crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and packed with sweet crab flavor. You don’t need a deep fryer or any complicated tools—just a pan, a bowl, and good crab meat.
This recipe stays classic with a subtle twist. Think golden crust, bright lemon, a touch of dry mustard, and just enough seasoning to let the crab shine. No heavy fillers. No overpowering flavors. Just clean, coastal goodness in every bite.
Serve them as an appetizer, pile them on a bun for a killer sandwich, or make them the star of your seafood dinner. They pair perfectly with a simple slaw, a squeeze of lemon, or a creamy remoulade.
If you’ve never made crab cakes from scratch, don’t worry. I’ll walk you through it. The mix comes together in minutes, and you can pan-fry them in under 10. Great for weeknights or whenever you’re craving something a little special.
Let’s get into it. Grab your crab, heat up the skillet, and get ready for a crowd-pleaser you’ll want to make again and again.
Crab Cakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs
- 16 oz. lump crab meat
Instructions
- In a good size-mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients together except for the lump crab meat. Be sure to wash your hands (or your kid's hands) first and then get in there and mix all the ingredients together.
- Fold in the crab meat into this mixture but be careful not to overwork it or the nice large "lumps" will break into small pieces.
- How to Cook
- I typically sauté the crab cakes in a little bit of olive oil and butter mixture but you can also bake them in a 375°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Alternatively you can grill them until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F. It's that easy.
- I serve them with a red pepper coulis my wife whips up in the blender.
Or, as my kids call them, “Crabby Patties”
Whenever I tell people how easy it is to make crab cakes, they stare at me like I’ve just told a bad joke. But I’m serious. If you can shape a meatloaf and flip a burger, you’re already halfway to making a killer crab cake.
Now, if you’re a purist, sure—you’ll want to do it the hard way. That means buying a bunch of blue-clawed crabs, boiling them, chilling them, and spending the rest of your day picking meat out of those tiny little shells. It’s rewarding, but it’s not for the faint of heart.
I still remember crabbing trips with my dad. We’d head down to my grandfather’s place on the Jersey shore and come back with two full bushels of Jersey Blue Claws. That’s a lot of claws to pick.
My dad eventually got clever. He grabbed a water pick—yep, the dental kind—and used it to blast the meat out of those tiny legs. It worked like a charm… until my mom walked into a kitchen covered in flying crab bits. Meat on the ceiling. Meat on the walls. Dad spent the weekend repainting.
Lesson learned? There’s a smarter way to enjoy crab cakes. Let’s keep it simple—and way less messy.
What Kind of Crab Meat Is Used in Crab Cakes?
The best crab meat for crab cakes is lump crab meat—especially jumbo lump or backfin. Here’s a quick breakdown:
| Type | Texture & Flavor | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Jumbo Lump | Large, whole pieces of crab; sweet and delicate | Premium, restaurant-style crab cakes |
| Lump | Smaller chunks of jumbo lump + backfin; still firm and flavorful | Ideal balance of texture and price |
| Backfin | Flaky white meat from the body; slightly less expensive | Great for standard crab cakes |
| Claw | Darker meat from claws; bold, briny flavor | Adds flavor but not ideal for texture-focused cakes |
| Imitation Crab | Processed fish (not real crab) | Budget option, but lacks real crab flavor or texture |
Interesting Fact
The number of blue crabs harvested from the Chesapeake Bay can vary yearly due to environmental conditions, regulations, and fishing efforts. However, to provide a general idea, according to data from the Chesapeake Bay Program, the annual commercial harvest of blue crabs from the Chesapeake Bay typically ranges from around 50 million to 100 million pounds in recent years.
It’s important to note that this figure represents the total commercial harvest, including crabs used for various purposes beyond crab cakes, such as crab meat sold in restaurants and seafood markets and processed crab products
Fresh Crab versus Canned Crab
I find it much easier to buy fresh lump crab meat at my local fish market, where someone else has spent hours picking the meat. It’s great if you can find it, and even better if you can afford it.
A more affordable alternative is buying “pasteurized” crab meat in 16-oz cans. Costco sells a Phillips brand that is a “hand-picked lump,” which is not bad at all.
On the label, they describe how the Phillips family has been processing crab meat for more than forty years for their Phillips Seafood restaurant. The crab comes from the “tropical waters of Asia, then cooked, hand-picked and pasteurized.”
Is this crab as good as my dad’s water-picked fresh crab? No way, but it does make a tasty crab cake. My 6-year-old daughter loves to help me make the crab cakes. She says she’s making crabby patties like they do in the SpongeBob cartoons. Whatever works, right?
Let’s compare:
| Aspect | Fresh Crab Meat | Canned Crab Meat |
|---|---|---|
| Flavor | Sweeter and more delicate flavor | More pronounced "canned" taste due to processing |
| Texture | Firmer and more succulent, especially when freshly harvested | Softer and more uniform from processing |
| Appearance | Natural color with distinctive hues by species | Less vibrant, more uniform in color |
| Versatility | Highly versatile in dishes like crab cakes, soups, salads, and pasta | Convenient with longer shelf life; great for recipes when fresh isn’t available |
| Cost | Typically more expensive; processed from live crabs | More budget-friendly; available year-round |
While fresh crab meat is often preferred for its superior flavor and texture, canned crab meat can still be a convenient and tasty option for incorporating crab into your meals, especially when fresh crab isn’t accessible
There are hundreds of recipes out there for crab cakes. Everyone in Maryland has a secret family recipe. I use the recipe on the can as a guide and then alter it depending on what I have in-house the day I make them.
The recipe on the Phillips can call for Phillips Seafood Seasoning. I substitute Old Bay Seasoning, but you can use whatever you like or have on hand.
And don’t forget to try my Red Pepper Coulis Recipe with these crab cakes. It’s delicious.
The Most Famous Crab Cake Restaurants in the USA
| Restaurant | State | Why Chosen |
|---|---|---|
| Faidley’s Seafood | Maryland | Iconic for its jumbo lump crab cakes; a Baltimore institution since 1886. |
| G&M Restaurant | Maryland | Famous for massive crab cakes packed with lump crab and minimal filler. |
| Old Ebbitt Grill | Washington, D.C. | Historic restaurant serving high-quality crab cakes near the White House. |
| Back Bay Seafood | New Jersey | Beloved Jersey Shore favorite known for fresh, homemade-style crab cakes. |
| The Crab Claw | Maryland | Scenic waterfront dining in St. Michaels with traditional-style crab cakes. |
| Thames Street Oyster House | Maryland | Upscale seafood with some of the top-rated crab cakes in Baltimore. |
| Legal Sea Foods | Massachusetts | Reliable New England chain known for consistent and flavorful crab cakes. |
| Charleston Grill | South Carolina | Elegant Southern dining with refined crab cake presentations. |
| The Optimist | Georgia | Critically acclaimed seafood spot in Atlanta with a modern crab cake twist. |
| Blue Water Grill | North Carolina | Outer Banks favorite known for coastal flavors and fresh crab cakes. |
| Neptune Oyster | Massachusetts | Highly rated Boston seafood restaurant with a rich, flavorful crab cake. |
| Crab House at Pier 39 | California | Popular San Francisco destination with Dungeness crab cakes and bay views. |
29 Responses
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe.
Unfortunately you do not say how much crabmeat to use?
How many crab cakes should this recipe make?
Do you use fresh breadcrumbs or are packet breadcrumbs okay?
I made this recipe with one 16 oz. can of pasturized lump crabmeat that I purchased at Costco. It’s in the recipe now.
How many it makes depends on the size of the cake you make. My 8 year old daughter loves these crab cakes but I make smaller ones for her. I’ve also made miniature cakes and served them as appetizers.
Fresh breadcrumbs are always better but not necessary. I used a non generic commercial brand of unseasoned breadcrumbs but have also made them with a Japanese breadcrumb called Panko (PAHN-koh) which is a little coarser than breadcrumbs you find in the supermarket.
I live in a small town in northern Botswana, near the Okavango Delta. We can only get crab sticks. Could I mash these up and use them in place of the crab meat?
Liesl, I don’t think your crab sticks are really crab meat. Check out my post, Imitation Crab at https://www.reluctantgourmet.com/imitation-crab/ , to learn more about what this really is.
Made these without the worcestershire, lemon juice and dry mustard, and added half an onion and they were better than any I have ever had. Even from any restaurant.
also add to the recipe –red potatoes boiled and mashed with left over salmon. Try it greattttt…
Liesl, seems if you did not get a reply. I live in Mozambique and have same problem. Did you try it yet with crabsticks – paid an arm and leg for them, don’t want to waste it?
Thank you for the cooking tips. I made crab cakes with a similiar recipe but wanted to see if there were cooking alternatives other than pan frying.
Can these be deep fryed or is pan-fried prefered? I’ve been told that deep frying crab cakes is better.
Tina, I prefer to pan-fry or saute these crab cakes. Although I love deep fried foods like homemade french fries and fried calamari, I stay away from them for diet reasons. We did, however, just fry up a batch of deep fried chicken legs the other night that were excellent.
I have also seen a lot of recipes that call for baking crab cakes and then you might want to try pan roasting where you brown them in a pan and finish them in the oven.
If you do deep fry some, please come back and let us know how they were. – The Reluctant Gourmet
I have tried and then modified them. Try chopped red peppers and scallions (green onions) finely chopped and mixed in. YuMMM!
This sounds great but I have to come clean and admit that I am a mayonnaise hater. Is there anything I could use in its place, or would they come out just as well without? Thanks!
Jeannie,
I’d use an equal amount of creme fraiche, though you may need to add a bit more bread crumbs for cohesion. I almost always go this route, as I rarely have mayo but always have creme fraiche. Trader Joe’s had it for a good price.
Thanks for that suggestion for Jeannie, Stephen. I wonder how a plain yogurt would work?
About how many servings does the above recipe make?
Hi GaNeane, hard to say. Really depends on how large you make the patties. I typically make the kids crab cakes a little smaller than our but if you made them all the same size, I’d say 6 to 8 cakes. – RG
This is very similar to a recipe that my mother uses to make crab cakes expect that I always add hot sauce because my family love things a bit spicy. I think that crab cakes are easy recipes that appear like they took a lot more time and even effort than they did. I love that about them. They are quick to make, delicious and impressive. I work with better recipes so I am always reviewing recipes and I love find easy recipes like this. Also I think pan frying take a little bit longer but it makes them much crispier.
Thanks Lauren – RG
What is the nutrition information on this recipe? Mainly Sodium and Potassium ? These crab cakes sound wonderful! Can’t wait to try them. Thanks Alex
Hi Alex, sorry but I do not have the nutrition information on my recipes but there are programs on the Internet that will convert the ingredients in a recipe and break them down into the information you are looking for. – RG
When you saute, typically how long on each side? How do you know when they are done? An earlier poster suggested that pan frying makes them crispier, so I am looking forward to trying that. We usually bake our crab cakes.
Hi jack, great question. The crab meat from a can, or if you buy pasteurized crab meat, is already cooked, so they are done when the outside reaches the desired crispiness and warms up the center sufficiently. Which is a better technique, pan frying or baking? That is really up to the individual who’s eating them. I would make an experiment with a batch of crab cakes – pan fry one, bake another, and then try broiling a third, and see which one you like best, and please let us know. – RG
HOW CAN YOU TASTE THE CRAB MEAT COME TO SMITH ISLAND MD. AND I WILL SHOW A CRAB CAKE
Sounds good Captain Bill. What’s the address? – RG
If you’re going to Smith Island, make sure you get some Smith Island cake!
I make crab cakes with no crackers or bread filler, I just use a little mayo, mustard, old bay, parsley and salt. Because there’s no filler they can fall apart, so it’s best to use a scoop to put them on a pan, then broil them, removing carefully with a spatula when they are done.
These sound great Dawn. Thanks for sharing. – RG
Awesome crab cake recipe! It looks delicious! Thanks again for your recipe!
Your recipe sounds pretty authentic. I would suggest using fresh chopped parsley rather than dried. Also use yellow mustard, rather than Dijon. I would lower the breadcrumbs to a half cup, of fresh crumbs, or 1/2 cup of crushed saltines.
This mixture should yield 4 to 6 crab cakes, allow 2 per person per serving.
The Phillips crab meat is from “blue swimmer crabs” caught in S.E. Asia. The lumps are machine formed, not natural. The American Blue Crab is found in the Chesapeake Bay, and coastal waters of Virginia, the Carolina’s and the Gulf of Mexico. True “lump crab meat” picked from crabs in these waters is far sweeter, and more succulent than the “swimmer crab” from S.E. Asia. In Baltimore and the Eastern Shore of Maryland you’ll pay from around $30.00 a pound for the real stuff, but it’s, oh so good.
Hey Jack, thanks for the comments and info about crab meat. I agree, if you can find East Coast crab meat and can afford it, it is the best. – RG
I am going to try this one exactly as written. I’m a bit unsure about the canned crab. I have not seen it in my regular grocery store, but I can check out Costco. I can get lump crab meat from the farmer’s market though the cost is definitely high.
A lot of recipes seem to have the wrong bread crumb to crab ratio for my taste. (My preference is heavy on the crab meat.) I might try it with the panko bread crumbs since I actually have some in the house and they aren’t getting any younger.
This is a great site. I knew when I saw the tuna salad with eggs that I had come to the right place.
Thanks Elle and you can always adjust the amount of bread crumbs if you like more crab in your crab cakes. You can always change some of the spices too. Some people ask me what’s the difference between panko bread crumbs and regular bread crumbs. Please read my post: Panko Bread Crumbs – RG
Gorgeous crab cakes, Gary! Now I’m going to need that red pepper coulis recipe, please.
Hi Stacy, here’s the recipe we use for a quick red pepper coulis. You will see, it couldn’t be easier.
https://www.reluctantgourmet.com/red-pepper-coulis-recipe/
Is one 8 oz crabcake good for an average adult?
Diane, interesting question. I would say so, but it really depends on what you are serving with it and how hungry your average adult is.