What Are Crab Cakes? Crab cakes are a beloved American dish composed of crab meat combined with ingredients like breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, eggs, and seasonings. They can be baked, grilled, deep-fried, air-fried, or broiled.
It’s incredibly easy to prepare. Whether you savor crab cakes as a solo indulgence or share them, these cakes prioritize the crab meat, with other ingredients adding flavor and binding everything together.
Crab Cake Highlights:
- Quick and Easy: In just over 30 minutes, you can whip up these delectable crab cakes. All it takes is mixing the ingredients, shaping them into patties, and frying.
- Cooking Versatility: You can choose to fry, air fry, or bake these cakes, offering flexibility for your preferred cooking method.
- Satisfying Delight: If you’re a crab aficionado, these cakes are sure to please your palate. Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce or create sliders for a full meal.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Crab Meat: 4 small cans of crab meat (12 ounces total). Ensure thorough draining and water removal. Fresh crab meat is a suitable alternative.
- Egg: An essential binder for the patties.
- Mayonnaise: Provides tang and binding properties. Homemade or store-bought mayo both work.
- Onion: Green onions are recommended for a pop of color, but regular grated onion or shallots can be used for milder flavor.
- Breadcrumbs: Panko breadcrumbs, unseasoned Italian breadcrumbs, or crushed saltine crackers are all suitable.
- Parsley: Optional, but fresh parsley adds a nice touch; you can substitute other herbs like dill.
- Lemon: Freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Hot Sauce: Use your preferred hot sauce, like sriracha or Frank’s hot sauce.
- Seasonings: Salt and pepper, with the option to include Old Bay Seasoning for extra flavor.
- Oil: Light olive oil, vegetable oil, or butter for frying.
How to Make Crab Cakes:
- Combine Ingredients: Gently mix all ingredients (excluding olive oil) in a bowl.
- Shape Patties: Form the crab mixture into patties; the number of patties depends on your preferred size.
- Fry the Cakes: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Gently flip and cook the other side for another 5 minutes.
- Serve: Accompany the crab cakes with lemon wedges, your favorite dipping sauce, garnish with parsley, or serve with a side dish.
This recipe enhances the flavor with a touch of hot sauce, green onions, egg, breadcrumbs, and mayo. The key is to handle the crab mixture gently as you create the patties. Enjoy these easy-to-make crab cakes!
Image/Source: JoCooks