Maryland Crab Cakes (No Filler)

A real Maryland crab cake is mostly crab. Take a fork to one and it should break into big, sweet chunks of meat held together by barely anything. Most crab cakes get it wrong: they’re mostly bread, onion and peppers, and the crab is somewhere inside. This recipe goes the other way. One pound of lump crab, one egg, a little mayo and Old Bay, and a handful of crushed saltines. That’s it. The two things that keep these cakes from falling apart are folding gently and chilling for an hour. Then you can broil them like a Baltimore crab house, or pan-fry them in butter for a crisper crust.

What makes a crab cake Maryland-style?

A Maryland crab cake is blue crab meat, Old Bay seasoning and just enough binder to hold it together. There’s no bell pepper, no onion and no heap of breadcrumbs. Crab houses around the Chesapeake Bay judge a cake by how much crab you can see. The seasoning is light so the sweet crab flavor comes first.

The usual binder is mayonnaise and egg, with a little mustard and Worcestershire sauce for tang. Crushed saltine crackers are the traditional dry ingredient, used in small amounts. Most Maryland restaurants broil their crab cakes rather than deep-fry them. Broiling browns the top, keeps the inside moist and doesn’t weigh the crab down with oil. Pan-frying in butter is just as common at home and gives you a crunchier crust on both sides.

The crab itself matters too. Maryland crab cakes are made with Atlantic blue crab, the crab of the Chesapeake Bay. Its meat is sweeter and more delicate than Dungeness or snow crab. You can use other crab, but you’ll get a different flavor.

Which crab meat is best for crab cakes?

Buy refrigerated lump or jumbo lump blue crab meat, sold in tubs at the seafood counter. Look for “fresh” or “pasteurized” on the label, and check where it’s from. Crab labeled as a product of the USA or the Chesapeake region is the closest to the real thing. Avoid shelf-stable cans from the canned tuna aisle. That meat is shredded, watery and tastes of the can.

Jumbo lump, lump, backfin or claw?

Crab meat is sold by grade, based on which part of the crab it comes from.

• Jumbo lump: the two big, white muscles that drive the swimming legs. It’s the most expensive and looks the most impressive. It’s the best choice when you want large chunks.
• Lump: broken pieces of jumbo lump mixed with large flakes from the body. It’s the best value for crab cakes. You still get big pieces, and the cakes hold together more easily.
• Backfin: smaller flakes of white body meat with some lump. Cakes made with backfin hold their shape well, but they’re less chunky.
• Claw: darker meat with a stronger, nuttier flavor. It’s good in soups and dips, but it makes crab cakes look brown.

A good compromise is half jumbo lump and half lump. You get the large pieces from the jumbo, while the smaller lump pieces fill the gaps and help everything bind.

Pick it over, gently

Even good crab meat has bits of shell and cartilage. Spread it out on a sheet pan and run your fingers lightly through it, feeling for anything hard. Don’t squeeze or stir it. You’re trying to find the shell without breaking up the lumps you paid for.

How much binder do Maryland crab cakes need?

About ¼ cup of crushed crackers and one egg per pound of crab is enough. “No filler” doesn’t mean no binder at all. Without any, the cakes collapse into a pile of hot crab. It means using only what’s needed to hold the crab in shape, not to stretch it.

Each part of the binder has a job. The egg sets as it cooks and holds everything together. The mayonnaise adds fat and moisture so the crab doesn’t dry out under the broiler. The crushed saltines soak up any extra liquid and give the egg something to cling to. Mustard, Worcestershire and lemon add a little sharpness to balance the sweet crab.

Saltines, panko or breadcrumbs?

Saltines are the Maryland tradition, and they work well. They’re dry and lightly salted, and they almost disappear into the cake. Crush them to fine crumbs in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin. Panko works almost as well, and it’s a good substitute. Fine dry breadcrumbs absorb more liquid and can make the inside pasty, so use a little less. Whichever you choose, keep the amount small. Crab cakes taste of whatever there’s the most of.

Ingredients for Maryland crab cakes

How to make Maryland crab cakes

The method is mostly about restraint. Mix the binder first, fold the crab in with a spatula rather than your hands, and stop as soon as it comes together. Every extra stir breaks more lumps.

1. Make the binder. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, lemon juice and parsley until smooth.
2. Fold in the crab. Add the crab meat on top. Sprinkle the crushed saltines over it. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold from the bottom of the bowl up and over, turning the bowl as you go. Stop as soon as the crab is coated. It should look loose and lumpy, not like a paste.
3. Shape the cakes. Divide the mixture into 4 equal mounds of about 4 oz each. Use your hands to cup each one gently into a round cake about 3 inches wide and 1½ inches thick. Don’t pack it tight. Pressed just enough to hold together is right.
4. Chill. Set the cakes on a plate or a sheet pan lined with parchment. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
5. Broil. Move an oven rack so the tops of the cakes will be about 6 inches from the broiler element, and heat the broiler on high. Transfer the cakes to a greased sheet pan, brush the tops with melted butter, and sprinkle with a little Old Bay. Broil for 10 to 14 minutes without flipping, until the tops are deep golden brown and the cakes feel firm when you press the sides.
6. Check and rest. An instant-read thermometer in the center should read 160°F. Let the cakes rest for 2 minutes so they firm up a little more, then lift them off with a thin spatula. Serve with lemon wedges.

To pan-fry instead

Heat 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp neutral oil in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat until the butter foams. Add the chilled cakes, leaving space between them. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the bottom is a deep golden brown. Flip once with a wide, thin spatula, and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. Medium heat matters. Too hot, and the crust burns before the center reaches 160°F.

Watch the method (video)

Chef Frank shows how to drain the crab, fold it into the mayo and egg mixture, and shape the cakes by hand while keeping the lumps whole. His binder recipe is wetter than ours, so watch it for the technique. If the video doesn’t load, watch it on YouTube.

How long do you cook crab cakes?

Broil 4-oz crab cakes for 10 to 14 minutes, or bake them at 400°F for 15 to 18 minutes. Whichever method you use, the center should reach 160°F. The crab is already cooked when you buy it. The heat is there to set the egg that binds the cake, and the USDA’s safe minimum temperature chart lists 160°F for egg dishes.

All times are for cakes straight from the fridge. Mini cakes about 2 inches wide make a good party appetizer. Use 2 tbsp of the mixture for each, and serve them with a small dollop of sauce on top.

Why do my crab cakes fall apart?

Crab cakes usually fall apart because they weren’t chilled, the crab was too wet, or they were flipped too early. Here’s how to fix that and the other common problems.

They fell apart in the pan

Chill the shaped cakes for at least an hour, and press out any liquid in the tub before you mix the crab in. When pan-frying, wait until a proper crust forms before you flip. A cake that hasn’t browned yet will stick and break. Broiling avoids flipping altogether, so it’s the safest method if your cakes keep breaking.

The inside is mushy or pasty

The mixture was stirred too much, or there was too much mayo or breadcrumb. Fold gently with a spatula and stop as soon as it comes together. If you use fine breadcrumbs instead of saltines, reduce them to 3 tbsp.

They taste bland

Crab is mild, and the binder dilutes it further. Taste a small spoonful of the binder before you add the crab. It should taste a bit too strong on its own. Sprinkle more Old Bay on top before cooking, and serve with lemon.

The outside burned before the middle was hot

The heat was too high, or the cakes were too thick. Keep cakes about 1½ inches thick. On the stove, use medium heat. Under the broiler, move the pan down a rack if the tops are browning too fast.

The crab lumps broke up

Mix with a spatula, not your hands or a whisk, and add the crab last. For a restaurant look, set a few of the biggest jumbo lump pieces aside and gently press them onto the top of each cake before chilling.

What do you serve with crab cakes?

In Maryland, crab cakes usually come with lemon, saltine crackers, tartar or cocktail sauce, and simple sides like coleslaw, corn on the cob, fries or potato salad. Many crab houses serve two cakes as a platter, or one on a soft roll as a sandwich.

Quick tartar sauce

Stir together ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp finely chopped dill pickles or relish, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp chopped capers and a pinch of Old Bay. Make it while the cakes chill so the flavors have time to blend.

Quick remoulade

Stir together ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 tbsp whole-grain mustard, 1 tsp hot sauce, 1 tsp lemon juice, ½ tsp paprika and 1 finely chopped scallion. It’s spicier than tartar sauce and works especially well with pan-fried cakes.

Want a bigger seafood dinner? Crab cakes go well with garlic butter shrimp scampi or pan-seared scallops, which cook while the cakes broil. For surf and turf, serve one cake next to our air fryer steak bites, and spoon over a little Deburgo garlic butter herb sauce.

Can you make crab cakes ahead of time?

Yes. Shaped, uncooked crab cakes keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours, and they actually hold together better after a long chill. Cover them tightly with plastic wrap so they don’t dry out or pick up other smells.

Freezing

Freeze uncooked cakes on a parchment-lined sheet pan until solid, about 2 hours. Then move them to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. There’s no need to thaw before cooking. Bake from frozen at 400°F for 22 to 25 minutes, until the center reaches 160°F, then broil for 1 to 2 minutes to brown the top.

Leftovers

Refrigerate cooked crab cakes within 2 hours and eat them within 3 to 4 days, according to the USDA’s leftovers and food safety guide. Reheat them on a sheet pan at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes, until hot all the way through. The microwave makes the crust soggy. Leftover crab cakes also make a great sandwich, served cold or warm on a soft roll with lettuce and tartar sauce.

Questions people ask about crab cakes

Are Maryland crab cakes broiled or fried?

Both are traditional. Many Maryland restaurants broil their crab cakes, which keeps the focus on the crab and gives a golden top. Pan-frying in butter is just as common at home. Deep-frying is less common for top-quality jumbo lump cakes, because the oil can overpower the delicate crab.

Can you use canned crab meat?

Refrigerated pasteurized crab in plastic tubs works very well. Shelf-stable canned crab from the pantry aisle is a different product. It’s finely shredded and has a stronger flavor. It will make edible crab cakes, but not Maryland-style ones with big lumps. If you use it, drain it very well and add an extra tablespoon of crumbs.

Can you make crab cakes with imitation crab?

You can, but they won’t taste like Maryland crab cakes. Imitation crab is made from white fish paste, called surimi, with added starch and sugar. It’s sweeter, softer and doesn’t break into lumps. If that’s what you have, chop it finely and treat the mixture more like a fish cake.

Why are my crab cakes too wet to shape?

Either the crab wasn’t drained well, or there was too much mayo. Tip the crab into a sieve and press very gently to remove the liquid, then add up to 2 more tablespoons of crushed saltines. Chill the mixture for 30 minutes before shaping.

What does Old Bay taste like, and can I substitute it?

Old Bay is a Maryland spice blend built around celery salt, paprika, mustard and black pepper. To make a quick substitute for this recipe, mix ½ tsp celery salt, ¼ tsp sweet paprika, a pinch of dry mustard, a pinch of cayenne and a pinch of black pepper.