Maryland Crab Cakes Recipe (Little Filler)
For the best texture, use lump crab meat, little filler, and bake the cakes in a very hot oven. Serve with lemon wedges, a garnish of chopped parsley, and/or lemon aioli or cocktail sauce or tartar sauce.
Servings 6 large and 20 mini crab cakes
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup 60g mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning up to 1 and 1/2 teaspoons for a spicier kick
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice plus more for serving
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound 454g fresh lump crab meat*
- 2/3 cup 41g saltine cracker crumbs (about 14 crackers) or 2 slices of crumbled bread (see note below)
- optional: 2 Tablespoons 30g melted salted or unsalted butter
Instructions
- Whisk the egg, mayonnaise, parsley, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, lemon juice, and salt together in a large bowl.
- Place the crab meat on top, followed by the cracker crumbs.
- With a rubber spatula or large spoon, very gently and carefully fold together. You don’t want to break up that crab meat.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day. (Don't skip this step.)
- Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C).
- Generously grease a rimmed baking sheet with butter or nonstick spray, or line with a silicone baking mat.
- Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup, portion the crab cake mixture into 6 mounds on the baking sheet. (Don’t flatten!)
- Use your hands or a spoon to compact each individual mound so there aren’t any lumps sticking out or falling apart.
- For extra flavor, brush each top with melted butter. This is optional but recommended!
- Bake for 12–14 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges and on top.
- Optionsal: Drizzle each with fresh lemon juice and serve warm.
- Cover leftover crab cakes tightly and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Smaller Sizes: For smaller crab cakes, divide the mixture into 12 1/4-cup portions.
- For MINI crab cakes on 22 prepared French-bread Croistinis, divide into 24 2-Tablespoon-size portions. Bake at the same oven temperature. The bake time is shorter for these smaller sizes. The crab cakes are done when the tops and edges are lightly browned.
- Assemble the Croistini's: Spoon 1/4 teaspoon Lemon Aoili or Lemon-Lime Aioli onto each croistinie, and top with a mini crab cake. Tope each crab cake with another 1/4 teaspoon aioli.
- Garnish each with chives and a bell-power flower, if desired. Serve immediately.
- Freezing Instructions: You can freeze the portioned unbaked crab cakes for up to 3 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator, brush with melted butter, then bake as directed. You can also freeze the baked and cooled crab cakes for up to 3 months.
- Thaw, then warm up in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 10–15 minutes or until warmed throughout.
- Or bake the frozen crab cakes at 350°F (177°C) for about 25–30 minutes.
- Baking vs. Sautéing: Some cook crab cakes on the stove, but I prefer the baking method. When cooked on the stove, crab cakes
- are often flattened into patties so the center cooks. For thick jumbo-style crab cakes, I recommend baking them in the ovenat a high temperature.
- They cook very quickly and remain extra plump.
Notes
Crab Cake Filler
While we have binding ingredients like mayonnaise and egg, crab cakes need a filler so they remain intact when cooked. And this is where people are very opinionated: what is the best filler? I’ve tested many and have even asked popular restaurants to spill the beans—most are very secretive about the crab cake ingredients they use! My #1 crab cake filler choice is cracker crumbs—specifically, saltine cracker crumbs. Bread crumbs are flavorless and too crunchy. Go for the saltines! To make the crumbs, you can place the crackers in a zipped-top bag and crush the heck out of them with a rolling pin, or you can use a little ninja, a big food processor, or even a blender. Add the crab meat & filler - Very gently mix together: Fold the ingredients together slowly and carefully. If over-mixed, the lump crab meat will break apart.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes: This is a key step in the recipe. Make sure the crab cake mixture is cold before you shape it into individual cakes.
There is little filler in this recipe, so the cakes will fall apart if the mixture is not refrigerated before cooking.
Grease baking pan & preheat oven. The oven gets pretty hot, so I don’t recommend using parchment paper. Grease the pan or use a silicone baking mat. Crab cakes can be pan-fried and then refrigerated until needed. To warm, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and heat for 5 minutes in a 350 degrees oven.
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/maryland-crab-cakes/
While we have binding ingredients like mayonnaise and egg, crab cakes need a filler so they remain intact when cooked. And this is where people are very opinionated: what is the best filler? I’ve tested many and have even asked popular restaurants to spill the beans—most are very secretive about the crab cake ingredients they use! My #1 crab cake filler choice is cracker crumbs—specifically, saltine cracker crumbs. Bread crumbs are flavorless and too crunchy. Go for the saltines! To make the crumbs, you can place the crackers in a zipped-top bag and crush the heck out of them with a rolling pin, or you can use a little ninja, a big food processor, or even a blender. Add the crab meat & filler - Very gently mix together: Fold the ingredients together slowly and carefully. If over-mixed, the lump crab meat will break apart.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes: This is a key step in the recipe. Make sure the crab cake mixture is cold before you shape it into individual cakes.
There is little filler in this recipe, so the cakes will fall apart if the mixture is not refrigerated before cooking.
Grease baking pan & preheat oven. The oven gets pretty hot, so I don’t recommend using parchment paper. Grease the pan or use a silicone baking mat. Crab cakes can be pan-fried and then refrigerated until needed. To warm, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and heat for 5 minutes in a 350 degrees oven.
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/maryland-crab-cakes/