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4.8 from 48 votes

Old Bay Crab Cakes

Decadent Old Bay Crab Cakes feature a golden crust wrapped around mouthwatering lump crab meat and spices. These easy boardwalk style Maryland crab cakes are served with a quick Old Bay remoulade sauce. They're perfect for summer, or any time you crave a taste of the sea.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
45 mins
Servings: 8 crab cakes
Calories: 217 kcal
Course: Main Course , Appetizer
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Crab Cakes:
  • 1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • ½ cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
  • 1 pound lump crab meat picked over for shells
  • ¼ cup dried plain bread crumbs plus more for dredging
Old Bay Remoulade:
  • 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped
  • ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
  • 2 to 4 dashes hot sauce
  • ⅛ teaspoon Spanish paprika
  • ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Heat up 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion until softened and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, and set aside to cool.
  2. To the mixing bowl of cooled onions, add the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, parsley, Old Bay, and salt, and mix until smooth. Fold in the crab meat, being careful not to break up the pieces too much. Add the bread crumbs, and fold the mixture until just combined. Set aside the crab mixture while you prepare the sauce. The moisture in the crab mixture will begin to soften the bread crumbs.
  3. In a small bowl mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce and taste for seasoning. Set aside until you are ready to serve.
  4. Add some bread crumbs to a plate for dredging your crab cakes. Portion out the crab mixture into 8 equal-sized mounds, between ⅓ to ½ cup each. Shape the crab cakes into patties about ¾-inch thick. If the cakes feel a little loose, just gently press them back together with your hands. Dredge each crab cake in bread crumbs and set aside. Refrigerate for up to 1 hour before cooking.
  5. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the prepared crab cakes and cook for 4 minutes until browned. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil before flipping over, and cook the second side for another 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the heat. Serve immediately accompanied by the sauce.

Notes

  • Making 8 is a good size for the average meal, serving 2 per person. You can also make 6 larger lump crab cakes, or make 16 miniature hors d’oeuvres size crab cakes as well. To make mini cakes, use this medium Oxo cookie scoop for portioning slightly heaping scoops of crab, and then gently press them flat into cakes.
  • You can make this recipe more “restaurant style” instead of “boardwalk style” by skipping the step to dredge in breadcrumbs. I’ve made them both ways with great success. 
  • This recipe uses kosher salt (aka cooking salt, kitchen salt, coarse salt outside of the US). If you are using table salt, definitely scale down the salt as that is a saltier type of salt! The type of salt will make a big difference in how salty your food tastes, so keep that in mind.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1crab cake Calories 217kcal (11%) Carbohydrates 3g (1%) Protein 12g (24%) Fat 17g (26%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Polyunsaturated Fat 8g Monounsaturated Fat 6g Cholesterol 95mg (32%) Sodium 559mg (23%) Potassium 188mg (5%) Sugar 1g (2%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8crab cakes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 217

% Daily Value*

Serving 1crab cake
Calories 217kcal 11%
Carbohydrates 3g 1%
Protein 12g 24%
Fat 17g 26%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Polyunsaturated Fat 8g 47%
Monounsaturated Fat 6g 30%
Cholesterol 95mg 32%
Sodium 559mg 23%
Potassium 188mg 4%
Sugar 1g 2%

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