How to Make Crab Cakes

Crab cakes are patty-shaped and sometimes round fishcakes enjoyed all over the world. It is particularly a favorite in the US state of Maryland and has crab meat as its main ingredient. These seafood treat can either be baked or fried according to preference, and can be filled with delicious stuffing or none at all. Take this tutorial to the kitchen and learn how to make crab cakes rich in flavor, texture and nutrients.

Choosing Ingredients for Crab Cakes

Because of the popularity of crab cakes, grocers offer fresh, frozen and canned crab meat. Nutritionists argue that fresh is always best, but needs to be consumed shortly after being bought. Frozen crabmeat is also good but might be a little short on flavor. Canned crab is not encouraged because it tends to have inferior taste and texture quality.

Another factor to look out for when shopping for crab meat is the label. If the crab is labeled “chunky” or is described as jumbo, it means there is plenty of meat. Smaller crab is often labeled “special”. To learn how to make crab cakes, large, fresh crab meat is best.

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How to Make Crab Cakes

There are many recipes and seasonings for crab cakes circulating around the web. If this is your first try at learning how to make crab cakes, use this simple recipe first to master the technique. From there on, you can try out different seasonings and other cooking methods. To make 4-6 servings of crab cakes, you need:

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes

Total Time 38 minutes

Servings 4

Author Vanjo Merano

Ingredients

• 1 lb. fresh or defrosted crab meat
• 1 whole egg beaten
• ¼ cup light mayonnaise
• 1 ½ tablespoons lemon or lime juice
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 small onions chopped
• 1 green bell pepper chopped finely
• ¼ teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs or crushed crackers
• 1 teaspoon table or kosher salt
• ½ cup cooking oil olive, canola, peanut
• Flour as needed

Instructions

• If crab meat is picked, make sure it is free of any shells. Add it to a large bowl.
• Add eggs, mayonnaise, lemon or lime juice and Worcestershire sauce to the crab meat. Combine ingredients well.
• Add the chopped onions, bell pepper, garlic, breadcrumbs and salt to the crab mixture. Stir thoroughly to combine. With clean hands, grab a handful of crab mixture and shape into patties or balls. Lightly dust them with flour.
• Pour the oil into a deep pan and warm it up over medium-high heat. Gently drop the crab patties or balls into the hot oil and fry until golden brown on all sides.
• Remove the fried patties from the pan and onto paper towel to drain the oil. Serve with tartar sauce or desired condiments.

Nutrition

Serving: 4g

How to Make Crab Cakes Cooking Tips

If you love spicy food, you can add a pinch of cayenne pepper or paprika to your crab cake mixture before shaping them. Some add a teaspoon of dry mustard to give crab cakes a tangier flavor. Serve alone with homemade dipping sauces or as a lean burger patty. Crab legs are also as enjoyable as crab cakes. Get some tips on how to cook crab legs.