Servings
Font
Back
4.7 from 60 votes

Lobster Cakes

Perfect for summer, these easy lobster cakes are brimming with fresh lobster meat! A golden panko crust seals the deal on these seaside treats. Serve them as an appetizer or light lunch with a squeeze of lemon and a simple slaw or salad.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Resting Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 377 kcal
Course: Main Course , Appetizer
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 3 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 scallions trimmed and finely chopped
  • 1 to 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 pound fresh lobster meat cut into ½-inch dice
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ⅔ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • Dash of hot sauce
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 ¼ cups Panko bread crumbs
  • 6 Lemon wedges for serving
  • Tartar sauce, Russian dressing, or lemon aioli (optional for serving)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the scallions and garlic together until softened and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add the lobster meat and parsley, and stir just to combine. Remove from the heat and transfer to a mixing bowl.
  2. Stir in the mustard, mayonnaise, egg, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Add ¾ cup of the panko, and stir to combine. The mixture will seem pretty wet, but the panko will absorb some of the excess moisture as it sits. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
  3. Shape into 6 cakes, and coat each with the remaining panko bread crumbs. Heat the remaining 2 ½ tablespoons butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook the lobster cakes for about 3 minutes per side, or until golden and cooked through.
  4. Serve lobster cakes with lemon wedges and your choice of sauce if using.

Notes

  • Adapted from The Ladies' Village Improvement Society Cookbook: Eating and Entertaining in East Hampton
  • To yield 1 pound of lobster meat you will need about four 1 ¼ pound lobsters. Larger lobsters will obviously contain more meat. A live lobster will usually yield about 20 to 25% of its weight in meat. I have made this recipe with 2 larger lobsters and yielded 12 ounces of meat.
  • You may easily reduce this recipe if you have less lobster meat--halve the recipe if you only have 8 ounces meat (yield 3 cakes), or cut it by ¾ if you have 12 ounces of meat (multiply the ingredient values by .75 in this case, and yield about 4 slightly larger cakes). To reduce the egg, just beat it in a small bowl and measure out about ½ or ¾ of the egg depending on how many cakes you are making.
  • Alternatively, if you are short on lobster meat, you can substitute the remainder with other seafood like crab meat, chopped sea scallops, or diced cooked fish or shrimp.
  • If you don't want to cook your own lobsters, see if your seafood purveyor will steam them for you. Many of my local grocery store seafood counters will steam lobsters free of charge! I often take advantage of this so I don't have to cook/kill them myself.

Nutrition Information

Calories 377kcal (19%) Carbohydrates 21g (7%) Protein 12g (24%) Fat 27g (42%) Saturated Fat 7g (35%) Polyunsaturated Fat 11g Monounsaturated Fat 4g Cholesterol 63mg (21%) Sodium 809mg (34%) Potassium 91mg (3%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 1g (2%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 377

% Daily Value*

Calories 377kcal 19%
Carbohydrates 21g 7%
Protein 12g 24%
Fat 27g 42%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Polyunsaturated Fat 11g 65%
Monounsaturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 63mg 21%
Sodium 809mg 34%
Potassium 91mg 2%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 1g 2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.