Maryland Crab Cakes Recipe

Homemade Crab Cakes are full of jumbo lump meat, mayonnaise, mustard, and tons of seasonings!  Sear them in a skillet, bake in the oven, or toss them in an air fryer until crispy.  Once you learn how to make this Maryland-style recipe you’ll have an easy, low-carb appetizer or main dish to serve year-round!

Homemade Crab Cakes Recipe

If crab cakes are on a restaurant’s menu you better believe I’ll be ordering them.

There’s something so delightful about big bites of fresh crabmeat mixed together with tons of fresh herbs and spices.

You add on a bit of Remoulade Sauce or a bit of Tartar Sauce and I’m hooked!

But oftentimes those fancy restaurants serving those mouthwatering crab cakes also come with a hefty price tag.

After all, crab meat is pretty expensive just on its own!

So recently I got a little brave and decided to buy a container full of fresh crab meat from our grocery store.

After successfully making these Crab Stuffed Mushrooms, a homemade crab cake recipe was next.

But not just any kind.  It needed to to be just right – and taste like those delicious cakes found in the Northeast.  (Specifically in Maryland!)

Maryland vs. Louisiana Crab Cakes

Maryland crab cakes are specifically made with lump crab meat, mayonnaise, mustard, Old Bay seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce.

The meat is left whole, and not shredded, mixed with an egg and breadcrumbs, and then seared in a skillet until crispy on the outside.

Louisiana-style crab cakes use flour as the binder and have more spicy flavors and hot sauce mixed in.

Ingredients

Now that you know the difference in the types of crab cakes, let’s take a closer look at the ingredients you will need as well as some substitutions you can try:

• Crab meat – Read below for more detailed information about the best type of meat to buy.
• Egg – This acts as a binder to hold the delicious meat together.
• Bread crumbs – Panko-style are the best to use.  You can also use a gluten-free brand if you need to.
• Seasonings – Personally I like to mix up my own spices that taste like Old Bay seasoning.  This consists of paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.  However, if you’d prefer, you can substitute equal amounts of Old Bay for the seasoning amounts listed below.
• Mayonnaise – No crab cake would be complete without a bit of mayonnaise in the mix.
• Mustard – Just a hint of Dijon mustard gives a nice punch to the cake.  Feel free to substitute with yellow or spicy mustard.
• Chives – You can also use green onions if you have a difficult time finding these.

Best Type of Crab Meat

Fresh crab meat or canned meat can be used interchangeably in this recipe.

Fresh crab meat can be found in-season during the months of October-January throughout the states, and even throughout the warmer months in some of the Southern states.

Jumbo lump is the best type to use, but you can also regular lump if that is all you can find.

Whatever kind of meat you buy, make sure you sort through it to ensure there are no shell pieces remaining.  The last thing you want is a crunchy piece when you bite into a tender cake.

How to Make

To make homemade crab cakes, you’ll first need to mix the ingredients, form them into cakes, and then cook them until crispy.

Mixing Together

1. Add egg, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. (step 1 above)

2. Whisk until well combined. (step 2 above)

3. Add crab meat, chives, and parsley. (step 3 above)

4. Stir gently until just combine so as not to break apart the crab meat too much. (step 4 above)

Forming into Cakes

After mixing, let mixture sit in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes for easier shaping.

1. Scoop out ⅓ cup of crab cake mixture. (step 1 above)

2. Form into a round disc about 1-inch tall.  Repeat with remaining mixture until you have 8 crab cakes. (step 2 above)

Cooking

You can either cook crab cakes in a skillet (my personal preference!), bake them in the oven, or pop them in your air fryer.  Here are the instructions for all three of these methods:

Sear in skillet

1. Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a cast iron or stainless steel skillet until it begins to sizzle.

2. Add four crab cakes and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until the edges are crispy.  Repeat with the remaining crab cakes.

Bake in Oven

1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place crab cakes at least an inch apart.

2. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 12-14 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Air Fryer

1. Heat your air fryer to 375°F for 3 minutes.
2. Place 4 crab cakes in a single layer on the metal grate and spritz each with a bit of oil or non-stick cooking spray.
3. Cook for 5 minutes, flip them over, and then continue cooking for an additional 5-7 minutes.

Serving and Storing

Serve crab cakes with a sprinkle of fresh parsley or chives, lemon wedges, and some homemade remoulade sauce or tartar sauce. 

If you have leftover cakes, store them in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.

When ready to reheat, either warm them up in a skillet for a few minutes per side or pop them into your air fryer.

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Maryland Crab Cake Recipe

Homemade Crab Cakes are full of jumbo lump meat, mayonnaise, mustard, and tons of seasonings!  Sear them in a skillet, bake in the oven, or toss them in an air fryer until crispy.  Once you learn how to make this Maryland-style recipe you'll have an easy, low-carb appetizer or main dish to serve year-round!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword appetizer, easy, low-carb, party food

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 8 crab cakes

Calories 140 kcal

Author London

Ingredients

• 1 lb. crab meat regular or jumbo lump
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard spicy or yellow
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp. paprika*
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper*
• ½ tsp. salt* to taste
• ¼ tsp. black pepper*
• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs gluten-free
• 2 Tbsp. chives finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. parsley finely chopped
• 1-2 Tbsp. oil avocado or olive

Instructions

1. Sort through the crab meat to ensure there are no shell pieces remaining.
2. Whisk together egg, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
3. Add crab meat, chives, and parsley. Stir gently until just combine so as not to break apart the crab meat too much.
4. Let sit in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes for easier shaping.

5. Scoop out ⅓ cup of crab cake mixture. Form into a round disc about 1-inch tall. Repeat with remaining mixture until you have 8 crab cakes.

Cook in Skillet:

1. Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a cast iron or stainless steel skillet until it begins to sizzle.
2. Add four crab cakes and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until the edges are crispy. Repeat with the remaining crab cakes.

Bake in Oven:

1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place crab cakes at least an inch apart.

3. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 12-14 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Air Fryer:

1. Heat your air fryer to 375°F for 3 minutes.

2. Place 4 crab cakes in a single layer on the metal grate and spritz each with a bit of oil or non-stick cooking spray.

3. Cook for 5 minutes, flip them over, and then continue cooking for an additional 5-7 minutes.

4. Serve crab cakes with a sprinkle of fresh parsley or chives, lemon wedges, and some homemade remoulade sauce or tartar sauce. Enjoy!

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• You can also substitute the paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper, for 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning.

Nutrition Facts

Maryland Crab Cake Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 140 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 47mg16%

Sodium 702mg31%

Potassium 179mg5%

Carbohydrates 4g1%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 12g24%

Vitamin A 731IU15%

Vitamin C 12mg15%

Calcium 46mg5%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.