Maryland Crab Cakes
Almost no filler, barely any binder, broiled not fried. In Baltimore the measure of a crab cake is how little is in it that is not crab — a pound of lump for four cakes, and nothing else pretending to be crab.
20 min active
50 min total
serves 4
pescatarian
kids eat it
Ingredients
- 2 container Lump crabmeat
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 3 tbsp Olive oil mayonnaise
- 1 Eggs (large)
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 Lemon
- 2 tbsp Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp Unsalted butter, melted
- 1 head Romaine lettuce, for serving
🌱 Fork in the road — for the vegetarian
Artichoke cakes
Chopped artichoke hearts, squeezed very dry, have almost exactly the right texture. Use the same binder, the same Old Bay, and the same broil.
Method
- Whisk the mayonnaise, egg, mustard, Old Bay, parsley and a squeeze of lemon into a smooth binder.
- Tip the crab into a wide bowl and pick through it gently for shell. Add the panko and the binder and fold — five or six strokes with a rubber spatula, no more. Every extra fold shreds the lumps you paid for.
- Form four tall, loose mounds — a proper Maryland crab cake is four ounces and stands up on its own, not a flat patty. Chill 30 minutes so they hold together.
- Brush with melted butter and broil 6 inches from the element for 8-10 minutes until browned on top and hot through. Broiling is the Maryland way; frying is a restaurant concession.
- Serve with lemon wedges and a plain green salad. Tartar sauce is optional and, in Maryland, contentious.
Notes
- ✨ The restaurant touch
- Tall mounds, not flat discs. A flat crab cake dries out; a tall one steams itself from the inside.
- 🧒 For the kids
- Serve on a soft roll with lettuce. Old Bay is savory rather than hot and children generally like it.
- 🥡 Leftovers
- Best the day they are made. Keeps 2 days.
Per serving
242Calories
25gProtein
5gFiber
3gSaturated fat
933mgSodium
770mgPotassium
Computed from USDA FoodData Central values. A planning tool, not medical advice.