This delicious and easy pan fried crab cakes recipe is flavored with fresh lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, and chives and dredged lightly in panko bread crumbs for a crispy crust.
These crab cakes will make your family or guests feel like they are in a high class restaurant and people will sing your praises! And rightfully so, since crab is so dang pricey.
What keeps crab cakes from falling apart?
Refrigerating the crab cakes before cooking is essential if you don't want the crab cakes to stay together instead of fall apart.
In addition to the refrigeration, the crab cakes are held together with egg, mayonnaise, and panko bread crumbs in this recipe.
Flour or regular breadcrumbs can be used in place of panko bread crumbs, but I don't think it tastes or looks as good. Ground up saltine crackers are also very flavorful as a binder in place of the panko.
Variations or Modifications on Crab Cakes
Any herb will work in this crab cake recipe - thyme, dill, parsley, rosemary, sage. Substitute 1 teaspoon dried herbs if you don't have any fresh ones or skip the herbs all together.
Old Bay is a pretty classic addition to crab cakes and other seafood. Add around 1 - 1 ½ teaspoons if you like. A dash of hot sauce, dijon mustard, or Worcestershire sauce is also good.
Flour can be used in place of bread crumbs but I don't think it tastes or looks as good. Ground up saltine crackers are also very flavorful as a binder in place of the panko.
What Kind Of Crab Should I Use For Crab Cakes?
Fresh and pasteurized crab has been fully cooked (steamed or boiled) and is ready to eat. Remember to check for the occasional crab shell that hasn't been picked out before packaging.
Use fresh crab if you can find it. After that, use pasteurized crab (this means that it has been heated to kill bacteria and results in a longer shelf life). Next up, use canned crab - which is the least expensive so the most accessible to most of our pocket books.
Use jumbo lump crab if you can find and afford it. Next is lump crab meat. Next is backfin or flake crab meat. Last is claw meat which is darker and flavorful but not as sweet.
Basically the bigger the crab meat, the better the crab cake in terms of sweetness and texture. Don't lose your mind trying to pick crab meat. Just try the recipe with the crab meat that you can afford and find. 🙂
How To Make Crab Cakes
- Whisk together the mayonnaise, egg white, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, dill / parsley, and chives.
- Gently fold in the crab meat, trying to not break it up.
- Form into six even sized "patties", relatively thick at ~ 1 inch high. Squeeze any excess liquid out of the patties.
- Gently roll all sides in panko and reform as needed if they are falling apart.
- Place on a large plate, saran wrap the top, and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours (this will keep the crab cakes from falling apart when cooked).
- Bring a large non stick or cast iron skillet to medium high heat and add butter and oil.
- Gently add crab cakes and cook around 2-3 minutes or until brown. Flip and cook an additional 2 minutes or until golden brown.
- Add salt to taste and garnish with any leftover herbs.
I like to start with ~ ½ cup panko on a small plate and add more as needed for dredging the crab cakes in. If the panko becomes too clumpy, throw it out and start with fresh panko. You will probably have leftover panko crumbs that can be tossed or brown up in the oven as a garnish if you don't like to waste.
If your crab cakes are burning, remove immediately from heat, reduce heat, and / or just cook in oil at a lower heat. Butter has a low smoking point (350F) which means that it browns / burns food fast compared to other fats/oils.
Easy Crab Cake Recipe FAQS
Two potential reasons: 1) Crab cakes HAVE TO be refrigerated for at least 2 hours to help them hold together. 2) There was no binder used such as egg, mayonnaise, or panko bread crumbs and/or there was too much moisture in the mix.
Yes, but the panko has more flavor and a crunchy and airy texture.
Nope, no need.
Yup. Bake crab cakes on a greased sheet pan at 450F for ~ 12 -15 minutes or until browned.
What My Man Says
"Today I graduated from someone who just relishes eating Beckie's Crab Cakes to someone who has made Beckie's Crab Cakes, and there was nothing to it!"
"We only had ½ pound of crab, so I halved the recipe. When I formed the crab cakes, the first one was too loose; on the second one I squeezed out some excess moisture before rolling it in the bread crumbs, and it resulted in a much better formed patty."
"They browned nicely on the outside after ~ 2 minutes at medium high (6 out of 10 on the burner), but they were only luke warm in the middle by the time the outside was done.
Next time I'll cook them at a slightly lower temperature, so they can stay on the heat a bit longer or make smaller cakes."
Serving Suggestion
Serve these easy Pan Fried Crab Cakes recipe with a complementary side dish like:
You May Also Like
If you like this Crab Cake dish, then you may also like these seafood inspired recipes:
Things In My Kitchen:
- Fish Spatula - makes flipping delicate food items easier.
- Microplane lemon zester - beautiful fragile zest for citrus.
- 12" Cast Iron Skillet - For the traditional old school "cookers"
- 12" Non-stick skillet - For those of us who want a quick clean up and a fool proof sear. Also PFOA free, dishwasher safe, and has a lid.
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Perfect & Easy Crab Cake
EatSimpleFood.com
These easy pan fried crab cakes are flavored with fresh lemon zest, juice, and herbs and are so light and delicious. They will make your family or guests feel like they are in a high class restaurant and people will sing your praises!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes (+ 2 hours "chill time")
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Yield: 6 (3 oz) portions 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Coastal
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 egg white
- zest from 1 medium lemon
- juice from 1 medium lemon
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp fresh dill (or parsley), finely diced, reserve a wee bit for garnish
- 1 Tbsp chives, finely diced
- 1 lb lump crab meat, any shells removed
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs, approximate
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Whisk together the mayonnaise, egg white, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, dill / parsley, and chives.
- Gently fold in the crab meat, trying to not break it up.
- Form into six even sized "patties", relatively thick at ~ 1 inch high. Squeeze out any excess liquid with your hands.
- Gently roll all sides in panko, careful not to press too hard.
- Place on a large plate, saran wrap the top, and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours (this will keep the crab cakes from falling apart when cooked).
- Bring a large non stick or cast iron skillet to medium high heat and add butter and oil.
- Gently add crab cakes (a fish spatula works great for flipping the cakes) and cook around 2-3 minutes or until brown. Flip and cook an additional 2 minutes or until golden brown.
- Add salt to taste and garnish with any leftover herbs.
- Happy crab cake eating! Beckie
Notes
- Refrigerating the crab cakes before cooking is essential if you don't want the cakes to fall apart.
- Any herb will work - thyme, dill, parsley, rosemary, sage. Substitute 1 teaspoon dried herbs if you don't have any fresh ones or skip the herbs all together.
- I like to start with ~ ½ cup panko and add more as needed. You will probably have some leftovers that you can toss.
- If your cakes are burning, remove immediately from heat, reduce heat, and / or just cook in oil at a lower heat. Butter browns food fast!
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