Maryland Crab Cakes with Lump Crab Meat

This easy step-by-step crab cake recipe shows you how to make crisp, golden crab cakes with tender chunks of real crab, bright lemon, savory seasoning, and a crunchy parmesan panko coating. Serve them as an elegant appetizer, a special dinner, or a restaurant-style seafood dish at home.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Easy to make: Crab cakes may feel like a fancy restaurant dish, but they are surprisingly simple to prepare at home. Once the ingredients are mixed, the cakes cook quickly in a skillet until crisp and golden.
• Perfect for entertaining: You can shape and coat the crab cakes ahead of time, refrigerate them, and fry them just before serving. This makes the recipe especially convenient for dinner parties, holidays, or special occasions.
• Flavorful and crisp: Real crab meat, lemon juice, green onions, roasted garlic, Old Bay seasoning, and red pepper flakes create a balanced flavor. The panko and parmesan coating gives each crab cake a deliciously crisp exterior.
• Easy to customize: This homemade crab cake recipe is excellent as written, but you can adjust the seasonings, omit ingredients you do not enjoy, or add more coating if the mixture needs extra structure.

Ingredients Needed

The exact amounts are included in the recipe card below, but here is a helpful overview of what you will need to make flavorful homemade crab cakes.

• Crab: Fresh or frozen cooked crab meat both work well. Canned crab meat can also be used, although fresh crab or good-quality frozen crab will usually give the best flavor and texture. Drain the crab well before mixing so the crab cakes hold together.
• Binder: A lightly beaten egg and mayonnaise help bind the crab mixture without making it heavy. They keep the cakes moist while helping them stay intact during cooking.
• Flavor: Lemon juice adds brightness, green onions add freshness, roasted garlic adds depth, cracker crumbs help with texture, Old Bay seasoning gives classic seafood flavor, and red pepper flakes add a gentle kick.
• Coating: Panko bread crumbs and finely grated parmesan are combined to create a crisp, golden coating. If the mixture feels too wet, a little extra panko and parmesan can help the cakes keep their shape.
• Oil for frying: Butter and olive oil are used together for rich flavor and a beautiful golden-brown crust.

How to Make Crab Cakes

These crab cakes come together in just a few simple steps. For the best results, handle the mixture gently so the crab stays in tender pieces rather than being broken down too much.

1. Mix the ingredients: Place the cooked crab meat in a medium bowl and drain away any excess liquid. Add the egg, mayonnaise, lemon juice, green onions, roasted garlic, cracker crumbs, Old Bay seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Mix until combined.
2. Prepare the coating: Stir the panko bread crumbs and grated parmesan together on a plate. This coating creates the crisp texture that makes pan-fried crab cakes so satisfying.
3. Shape and coat: Divide the crab mixture into four portions. Gently form each portion into a patty, then coat both sides with the panko parmesan mixture. If the crab mixture is very moist, continue turning it in the coating until it holds its shape.
4. Fry until golden: Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Add the breaded crab cakes and cook until deeply golden brown on both sides, flipping only once if possible.

Crab Cake Sauce

A creamy remoulade sauce is a classic choice for crab cakes. A mayonnaise-based sauce with a Cajun-style kick pairs beautifully with the sweet crab, crisp coating, and bright lemon flavor in this recipe.

These crab cakes are rich, savory, and flavorful enough to enjoy without sauce, but a good dipping sauce makes them even more special. Serve the sauce on the side or spoon a small amount over the top just before serving.

This recipe was originally published in April 2019 and has been updated with helpful information, ingredient photos, process photos, and recipe tips. The recipe itself has not changed.