Published . Last updated By Elizabeth Lindemann   /  This post may contain affiliate links.
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5 from 71 votes
You’ll want to make these Easy Crab Cakes over and over – it’s a simple 15 minute, no fuss seafood recipe that’s always a crowd pleaser! Make them mini to serve as an appetizer or larger for a main course, and be sure to have some fresh lemon to squeeze on top along with a dipping sauce like tartar sauce or remoulade sauce. This recipe uses any kind of crab meat you want – jumbo or claw, fresh or canned, meaning it can be very budget friendly to make.
These simple crab cakes are a great go-to recipe for any time of year. Because you can use fresh or canned crab meat, you can make this wherever you live. And if you use claw meat, you’re looking at a surprisingly budget-friendly meal for something that’s usually expensive (though indulging in fresh jumbo lump meat would certainly take them up a notch!).
My friends in Maryland may shake their heads because I didn’t include Old Bay seasoning in this recipe. My friends in New Orleans may wish I served them with remoulade sauce instead of tartar sauce.
But that’s the thing about these crab cakes – they’re a blank canvas! Add old bay if you like, and serve them with any crab cake sauce you like. With simple flavors from green onions, dijon mustard, soy sauce (SO good for a salty punch), and a little hot sauce, you can make these crab cakes your own or make them exactly as written. It’s hard to go wrong!
PLUS, I have a nifty trick for making the patties mess-free and uniform in size that you’re going to love – you never even have to touch the batter with your hands at all!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Crab Meat – Any kind! I used refrigerated (fresh) claw meat for a budget-friendly option, from the refrigerated seafood section of my grocery store. Use fresh or canned, jumbo lump, lump, or claw – anything you like! Though I do recommend fresh/refrigerated crab meat for the best taste.
- Egg – essential to bind it together.
- Green onions – you can use chopped yellow, red, or white onion instead if you prefer.
- Mayonnaise
- Dijon mustard
- Soy sauce – I love the umami flavor from soy sauce, but you can use 1/4 teaspoon salt instead if you prefer.
- Breadcrumbs – I used panko, but regular is fine too, or gluten-free breadcrumbs if needed.
- Hot sauce – not required, but delicious. Omit if you don’t want a little heat.
- Canola oil – for frying (or another neutral tasting oil).
- Fresh lemon slices, parsley, and sauce such as tartar or remoulade for serving.
How to make Crab Cakes
- First, mix crab meat, egg, dijon mustard, breadcrumbs, mayo, hot sauce, soy sauce, pepper, and green onions in a medium bowl.
- Heat a large skillet such as cast iron over medium-high heat (I recommend 12 inch, otherwise you may have to do two batches).
- Add oil to the skillet – enough to completely coat the bottom.
- Scoop the crab cake mix using a large ice cream/disher scoop (or a small-medium cookie scoop for smaller, mini crab cakes!). Add the mix directly to the hot oil in the skillet and press down on the back with a spatula to flatten them.
- Cook the crab cakes for 3-4 minutes on each side, until they are golden brown and crispy on the outside.
- Place on a paper towel lined plate to absorb any excess oil.
- Serve with fresh lemon wedges, chopped fresh parsley, and a dipping sauce, such as tartar sauce or remoulade sauce.
Do you use cooked or raw crab meat for crab cakes?
You use cooked crab meat for crab cakes. It’s very rare to find raw crab meat removed from the shell for sale – so the crab meat you buy in your store is almost certainly cooked. These crab cakes can also be made with leftover cooked crab meat, such as from a crab boil.
If for some reason you do use raw crab meat for these crab cakes, you’d need to make sure you cook them thoroughly enough so the crab is fully cooked through.
Should I rinse the crab meat?
If you like, you canrinse the crab meatbefore using it. This is a good idea to make it taste fresher if you are using canned crab meat, or if using refrigerated fresh crab meat that has any kind of preservative for freshness. Rinsing may also help reduce any extra saltiness from these preservatives, meaning you can add more salt or seasoning as you like.
To rinse crab meat, soak it in water with a couple ice cubes for 10 minutes, then drain in a fine mesh sieve before using.
Serving Suggestions for Crab Cakes
- Make them mini and serve as an appetizer
- Serve on their own with a side of a salad, like zucchini ribbon salad or coleslaw, for a summery dinner
- Top with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce for a fun brunch
- Serve on a bun as a sandwich
Recommended Equipment
- A large ice cream scoop / disher scoop will make easy work of forming the patties. Just scoop the batter right into the hot oil for mess free crab cake forming! You can also use a smaller scoop, like a cookie scoop, to make mini crab cakes (perfect for serving as an appetizer).
- A fish spatula is great for flattening the patties and flipping them. The grooves in the spatula reduce the potential for the cakes to stick to the spatula, and the thin flexible shape makes it easy to flip the crab cakes. This is my go to spatula for cooking almost anything, and as a bonus, it’s only around $8!
- A 12-inch heavy skillet, such as cast iron, is recommended for frying these crab cakes.
Other delicious fried patty recipes
- Salmon Croquettes
- Shrimp and Zucchini Fritters
- Mashed Potato Cakes
- Spinach and White Bean Patties
Other quick and easy seafood recipes
- Garlicky Sautéed Shrimp with Lemon and Herbs
- Oven BBQ Salmon
- Garlic Butter Sheet Pan Salmon and Veggies
- Blackened Tilapia with Cucumber Avocado Salsa
- Oven Fried Catfish
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Easy Crab Cakes
This easy crab cakes recipe uses any kind of crab meat you want – lump, claw, canned or fresh – for a simple seafood recipe you'll love!
5 from 71 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Seafood
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 patties
Calories: 204kcal
Author: Elizabeth Lindemann
Equipment
Large heavy skillet (such as cast iron)
Ingredients
- 8 oz. crab meat picked through to remove any shell pieces (see notes)
- 1 egg
- 2 green onions thinly sliced (white, green, and light green parts)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce more or less depending on spice level preference
- 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs regular or panko is fine
- canola oil for frying (or another neutral tasting oil)
- fresh lemon slices, fresh chopped parsley, and tartar sauce or remoulade sauce for serving (optional)
Instructions
Combine all ingredients (except for canola oil) in a medium bowl.
Heat a large heavy skillet, such as cast iron, over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup oil to the skillet. (I recommend 12 inch – anything smaller than that and you may need to cook two batches.)
Use a large ice cream scoop / disher scoop to get a portion of the crab cake mix from the bowl (or smaller, cookie scoop to make mini crab cakes). Place directly into the hot oil in the skillet and use the back of a fish spatula to press down on the top. (Alternatively, you can divide into four-six equal portions and form patties with your hands.)
Cook the patties for 3-4 minutes, flip carefully, and cook for another 3-4 minutes (more or less time depending on how big the patties are or how hot your burners are) over medium-high heat, until the outside is golden brown and crispy.
Place cooked crab cakes on a paper towel lined plate. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and garnish of fresh parsley, and tartar sauce or remoulade sauce, on their own or in a bun or lettuce wrap as a sandwich.
Notes
- You can useany kind of crab meat you want in this recipe, such as claw or jumbo lump. Canned or fresh(refrigerated) is fine, but for the best taste I recommend fresh. Fresh claw meat is a bit less expensive than lump, so it’s a great budget-friendly option without sacrificing taste.
- If you like, you canrinse the crab meatbefore using it. This is a good idea to make it taste fresher if you are using canned crab meat, or if using refrigerated fresh crab meat that has any kind of preservative for freshness. Soak it in ice water for 10 minutes, then drain in a fine mesh sieve before using.
- If adding Old Bay or another seasoning that contains salt, I recommend omitting the soy sauce.
- The nutrition information estimate is calculated assuming four total crab cakes are made.
Nutrition
Serving: 1patty | Calories: 204kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 704mg | Potassium: 164mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 109IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
My Fitness Pal Recipe Nutrition Calculator
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Comments
Virginia Fisher
This recipe made crab cakes easy! I used saltines because I didn’t have bread crumbs. I didn’t have mustard either. However, still super delicious! I used some soy sauce and some old bay after soaking the crab and it wasn’t crazy salty.Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Reply
Chase
They turned out great even with imitation crab! Because of its texture they were a little loose so I put them in the freezer for 15-20 min before frying. I also used Old Bay branded hot sauce and it was a great pairing.Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Great idea to firm them up in the freezer for a bit.
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Andrew LeFrank
I made this recipe this evening. We bought a 16 oz can of Jack’s Catch claw crab meat at Winn Dixie for $10.00. Based on what was in the kitchen I started by finely dicing a bit of white onion and sautéing it in butter and avocado oil. I avoid seed oils to the extent possible but did use some for frying the cakes. I added the onions to a bowl and pressed the top of the can into the crab to drain some of the packing juice. I didn’t have a fine sieve to use. I used a combination of mayonnaise and miracle whip ( what I had on hand) and added Worcestershire sauce instead of soy sauce and a bit of hot sauce ( probably could have used a little more) I added the Dijon mustard and used Italian bread crumbs. After combining these ingredients I whisked two eggs and folded it into the bowl of ingredients. I used a tablespoon to make a ball and put the ball into a bowl of panko crumbs. I then put the ball into a frying pan of canola oil and butter and pressed to about 3/4 of an inch thick. I repeated this until there were four cakes in the pan. I am not sure how long I did each side but I left them long enough to be crispy and dark golden brown. I wasn’t consistent in my sizes and managed to get about 13 crab cakes. Some were entree size and some were appetizer size. I think with a pound of crab meat and double the recipe you could get 20 appetizer size cakes. My wife liked them and she is very fussy. Particularly about seafood! Great recipe. Thanks for encouraging us to experiment. God bless and Happy Easter!
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Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
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Barbara
Thank you for your yummy crab cakes I am going to make them tonight for tea . Yummy 😋😋😋Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Reply
Iabelle
See AlsoThe Best Crab Claw Meat Recipes
I made this recipe, added Old Bay and reduced the Soy sauce by 1/2 and the salt content was fine. Great recipe and will be used again!Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Reply
Karla Southard
This recipe is amazing. My husband and I both loved it!! I felt like I was an actual chef! Super easy recipe to follow! I will be adding this to our rotation dinners. ❤️❤️Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Reply
Kathy Tudor
Can you make these a day ahead and keep them uncooked in the fridge and cook them the next day?
Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yes! You can form the patties if you want, or just make the mixture and form the patties just before cooking. I wouldn’t let it sit more than a day ahead of time in the fridge though. Hope that helps, and hope you like it!
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Kathy Tudor
Thank you! Very helpful!
Annette Casanova
We loved the recipe. I didn’t have bread crumbs so used saltine crackers which worked great. Easy recipe with canned crab. I will make this again.Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
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Justin
I only have Italian bread crumbs will that be okay
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Elizabeth Lindemann
You can do this, but they will add a different flavor, and they usually have extra salt so I would omit the soy sauce. Hope you like it!
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Donna
How do I adjust this recipe for 14
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Elizabeth Lindemann
If you are in the recipe card, you will see where it says “servings” and next to it, 4. Hover your mouse over the 4 and use the slider to adjust to 14. The ingredients in the ingredients list will automatically adjust to reflect the new portion. Hope that helps!
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Monica
I have an electric stovetop which cooks much faster than fire? Any other suggestions and why do I need a cast iron skillet?
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Elizabeth Lindemann
You don’t need a cast iron skillet, just preferably a large heavy one (heavy skillets conduct heat more evenly than thin ones). With electric stovetops, just turn the heat down a little if you are concerned about it being too hot. They can take some getting used to!
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Rachel Baxter
Turned out perfectly. Big hit for everyone on Good Friday.Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Eleanor Welling
Can you cook these, freeze and then reheat?
Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
Sure!
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Linn
Bummer, the plan was to use up three cans of crab that I had for a while, discovered they had expired a year ago! So I made it with canned tuna instead… Delicious! This recipe is a keeper.Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad to hear this recipe works well with tuna, and that you were able to find a solution! Total bummer about the crab though.
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Jan
My husband is not a big seafood lover and he would not stop raving about these crab cakes. You have now provided us with two of our favorite recipes (chicken and dumplings being the second). We had them with a lemon dill sauce and I wish we had made a few more, although my stomach wouldn’t have fit any more! Great recipe!Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy to hear you and your husband liked them and that you’ve had success with more than one of my recipes! This comment made my day :-)
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Kathi
Great recipe – but I made these in my XL Power Pro Air Fryer Grill. Sprritzed them with Olive Oil and cooked them at 370 degrees F for 7 minutes. They came out great too. Thanks for posting this basic recipe – but I haven’t fried anything in oil since I got my air fryer.Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked the recipe and thanks for sharing how you made them in your air fryer!
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