These bite-size crab cakes make an extra-special appetizer, lunch or party table addition. Delicate, sweet-flavoured chunky white crab meat made into little Maryland-style crab cakes that are lightly pan-fried until perfectly golden.
Lump crab meat from the blue crab is most often used for crab cakes – especially Maryland-style crab cakes.
Unfortunately fresh lump crab meat isn’t readily available in the UK. So I’m making a UK version of Maryland crab cakes!
Living where we do on the south coast of the UK we’re lucky enough to get access to some of the freshest and best seafood. Brixham Crab is amazing, it’s delicate, meaty and is full of flavour, perfect for these crab cakes.
Fresh crab is best for the crab cakes, but of course, it’s expensive! We went through 3kg of white crab during the testing of this recipe, so it was definitely one of our more expensive recipes. Neighbours and family members certainly enjoyed the results of our testing though!!
📋 Ingredients
- Crab – I use the chunkiest white meat from the brown crab (local to us in Devon), but lump crab meat from the blue crab is most often used for crab cakes – especially Maryland-style crab cakes.
Use the best quality white chunky crab meat you can find. We want it lumpy, not flakes or shredded for the best crab cakes. - Old Bay seasoning
- This is a brand of seasoning that originated in Maryland and is a key ingredient for Maryland-style crab cakes.
It’s not as common in the UK, but can be found on the spice aisle of larger supermarkets. I’ve seen it in Tesco, Waitrose and occasionally in Aldi. You can also find it on Amazon (<– affiliate link).
If you can’t get hold of it, Cajun seasoning (plus a good pinch of celery salt or regular salt) is probably the nearest spice blend. Cajun seasoning is a little hotter and less salty than Old Bay.
- This is a brand of seasoning that originated in Maryland and is a key ingredient for Maryland-style crab cakes.
- We also have egg, mayo, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt, pepper, parsley and panko. Each of these ingredients is for added flavour or to act as a binder (or both!)
📺 Watch how to make it
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***
- First we make up a sauce that acts as a binder and gives the crab cakes lots of flavour. This uses egg, mayo, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, Old Bay seasoning, salt, pepper and parsley.
- Next fold in the crab and panko. The panko also acts as a binder – absorbing some of the liquid to help keep everything together. It also makes the crab cakes more tender.
- Form the crab cake patties and refrigerate for an hour (helps them to firm up)
- Then we fry the patties in a little oil and serve!
Pro Tip
Be sure to refrigerate for an hour before frying – this allows the flavours to develop and allows the panko to absorb some of the moisture. This makes the crabs cakes a little firmer, so they stick together better.
I like to serve two as a starter or four for lunch. Added to a party table, they go in a flash.
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🍽️ What to serve it with
Look at those lovely juicy chunks of crab 😍
🍲 More fantastic appetizers
? Frequently Asked Questions
White crab meat is expensive, so personally, I would eat these fresh to enjoy the BEST flavour and texture.
But they do still taste great when reheated! Make them ahead, cool, cover and refrigerate, then reheat, until piping hot, in a frying pan with a splash of oil.
They’re more delicate upon reheating, so move them carefully.
Prepping ahead (but not frying):
You can of course, make the crabs cakes up and extend the refrigeration stage if you want to prep them ahead. They should be fine in the fridge, well-covered, for 1-2 days (so long as the expiration date of your crab meat allows this).
Yes you can freeze cooked crab cakes, then defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat, until piping hot, in frying pan with a splash of oil.
I do find they lose a bit of the taste and the texture isn’t quite as good as fresh crab cakes. Also they’re more delicate upon reheating.
Fresh crab is best for the crab cakes, but of course, it’s expensive!
Fresh crab meat also only has a short shelf (fridge) life. So I totally understand that you may want to make these crab cakes with tinned crab meat.
You can do it, and they’ll still be very tasty.
If you can get hold of it, I’d would recommend tinned jumbo lump crab meat (I’ve seen it in Tesco and Waitrose – the Kingfisher brand).
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Add the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, Old Bay seasoning, salt, pepper and parsley to a large bowl and mix together with a fork or whisk to combine.
1 medium egg, 70 ml (4 tbsp + 2 tsp) mayonnaise, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
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Add the crab and panko and gently stir together. Try not to break up the lumps of crab too much. If the mixture is too wet to shape, stir in a little more panko.
450 g (1lb) white chunky crab meat, 25 g (1/2 cup) panko breadcrumbs
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Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment.
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Shape the mixture into 16 small patties (see notes) on the baking sheet. I use a cookie scoop or small sauce ladle to scoop it out, then press it out onto the baking sheet. Use your hands to push the mixture together.
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Cover the tray with clingfilm and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour to firm up.
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Add 1.5 tbsp of the oil to a large frying pan or skillet and heat over a medium heat.
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Add half of the patties and cook for 6-7 minutes, turning once, until golden brown and cooked throughout.
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Once cooked remove them from the pan with a spatula and place on a warm plate or tray and place in a low oven to keep warm whilst we make the second batch.
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Add the remaining 1.5 tbsp of oil to the pan and add the remaining patties to the pan cooking for 6-7 minutes, turning once, until golden brown and cooked throughout.
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Serve with lemon wedges and Tartare sauce, garlic mayo or hot mayo (mayo with hot sauce).
Old Bay seasoning
This is a brand of seasoning that originated in Maryland and is a key ingredient for Maryland-style crab cakes.
It consists of paprika, mustard, celery seed, cayenne, coriander seed, cloves, pepper, salt, sugar and herbs.
It’s not as common in the UK, but can be found on the spice aisle of larger supermarkets. I’ve seen it in Tesco, Waitrose and occasionally in Aldi. You can also find it on Amazon (<– affiliate link).
If you can’t get hold of it, Cajun seasoning (plus a good pinch of celery salt or regular salt) is probably the nearest spice blend. Cajun seasoning is a little hotter and less salty than Old Bay.
Crab meat
I use the chunkiest white meat from the brown crab (local to us in Devon), but lump crab meat from the blue crab is most often used for crab cakes – especially Maryland-style crab cakes.
Use the best quality white chunky crab meat you can find. We want it lumpy, not flakes or shredded for the best crab cakes.
Size of the crab cakes
I make the mixture into little bite-sized crab cakes that are about 39g (~1.4oz) each. You can make them bigger but they’re more delicate when bigger, so you have to be extra careful when turning them over in the pan.
Why do we place the crab cakes in the refrigerator?
This allows the flavours to develop and allows the panko to absorb some of the moisture. This makes the crabs cakes a little firmer, so they stick together better.
Nutritional info is approximate, per crab cake.
Calories: 87kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 330mg | Potassium: 77mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 71IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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