Crab cakes are a delicious meal that can be enjoyed as an appetizer or entree.Cooking crab cakes on the stove results in a crispy golden exterior while keeping the interior moist and flavorful. This guide will walk you through the easy steps for foolproof crab cakes cooked right on your stovetop.
Ingredients for Crab Cake Success
The star of any crab cake is the crab meat itself For the best flavor and texture, use fresh jumbo lump or backfin lump crab meat. Carefully pick through the crab to remove any stray shell fragments
To bind the crab meat together, you’ll need a mixture of beaten eggs and mayonnaise. The egg provides structure while the mayo lends creaminess. Some key seasoning ingredients that enhance crab cakes include:
- Dijon mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
- Hot sauce
- Old Bay or Cajun seasoning
- Fresh herbs like parsley, chives or oregano
Panko breadcrumbs or crushed saltine crackers give a nice crunch without overpowering the crab
Preparing the Crab Cake Mix
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In a bowl, gently combine the crab meat with panko, herbs and seasonings. Be careful not to overmix and break down the crab chunks.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and mayonnaise. Season with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and hot sauce.
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Fold the wet ingredients into the crab mixture until just combined.
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Form the mixture into 3/4-inch thick patties, being gently to keep the texture intact. Chill for at least 30 minutes. This helps them hold their shape better during cooking.
Cooking Crab Cakes to Perfection
A cast iron or nonstick skillet is ideal for frying crab cakes. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of neutral oil over medium heat. Clarified butter also works well.
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When the oil is shimmering, gently place the chilled crab cakes into the pan, leaving space between them. Work in batches to avoid crowding.
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Cook for 3-4 minutes per side until deeply golden brown. Resist the urge to press down on them or move them around.
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Carefully flip them over with a thin spatula. Cook for another 3-4 minutes on the second side.
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Transfer cooked crab cakes to a paper towel-lined plate. Blot any excess oil.
The total cooking time will be 6-8 minutes for crab cakes 3/4-inch thick. Adjust cooking times for thicker or thinner patties.
Serving Suggestions
Crab cakes pair fantastically with:
- Lemon wedges
- Remoulade or tartar sauce
- A crisp green salad
- Coleslaw or vinegared slaw
- Grilled asparagus or tomatoes
For a fun twist, try crab cake sliders on brioche buns or mini crab cake appetizers. Crab cakes also reheat very well, so cook up a big batch for easy weeknight meals.
With a crispy golden exterior encasing sweet, succulent crab, these tasty crab cakes are sure to be a hit at your dinner table. Cooking them on the stove allows you to achieve that signature crab cake texture right at home.
Types of Crab Meat
- Jumbo Lump: Jumbo lump crab meat is off-white and comes from the crab’s swimmer fin muscles. Crabs only have 2 of these muscles, so you need a lot of crabs to make a serving of jumbo lump crab meat. This is why it’s the most expensive type. It’s very sturdy and is wonderful served alone or as a topping for dishes or salads.
- Lump: Lump crab meat is also off-white, but a bit smaller than jumbo lump. It’s still very sturdy and flavorful. It comes from the body of a crab and is ideal for chunky crab cakes.
- Backfin: Backfin crab meat, also known as flake crab meat, is off-white too. It also comes from the body of a crab. The term “backfin” can also include the broken pieces of lump crab meat. It’s flakier than big lumps of crab meat.
- Claw: Claw meat is darker than the other types of crab meat. It’s not as sweet, but it has a stronger flavor. Claw meat is the least expensive and is ideal for soups, dips, and stews.
Best Crab Meat for Crab Cakes
The Chesapeake Bay is home to Maryland’s famous blue crabs. Opinions vary on what the best-tasting crab variety is, and it’s usually determined by where you live. Maryland crabs are known for their delicately sweet, buttery flavor, and Dungeness crabs, found on the West Coast, are known for their impressive size and meatier texture. If you aren’t steaming your own crabs for crab meat, let me help you navigate which crab meat is best for crab cakes.
Whichever crab variety you use, make sure you purchase crab meat labeled “hand-picked” or “fresh-picked,” which means that the crab meat has been picked through for shells and cartilage. (Still, it’s good practice to gently run your hands through the meat for any hard cartilage remnants.)
Crab meat sold out of the shell has been cooked and can be consumed. It’s very rare to find raw crab meat sold out of the shell—it’s almost always cooked before it’s picked out of the shell. At the market, you can find canned, frozen, or fresh (refrigerated) crab meat. Unrefrigerated canned crab meat doesn’t have an ideal flavor for crab cakes. If you need to use canned, look for canned crab meat in the refrigerated section of your market. The fresher the crab meat, the better the crab cake will taste. Ask your grocer where to find the freshest crab meat in the store. I purchase fresh crab meat sold in a 1-pound tub from the seafood counter in my grocery store. Sometimes the tubs are behind the glass or found on ice next to the seafood counter.
For the absolute best crab cake (and crab dip!), I recommend using lump crab meat or a mix of lump crab meat and backfin meat. Lump crab meat guarantees those big, mouthwatering bites of crab. Don’t worry, all the other ingredients are pretty inexpensive.
Easy Crab Cakes Recipe
FAQ
How long do you cook crab cakes on the stove?
How Long to Cook Crab Cakes. In a skillet over medium heat, the crab cakes should be fully cooked and golden brown after about 5-6 minutes on each side (or 10-12 minutes in total).
Is it best to fry or bake crab cakes?
Should crab cakes be baked or fried? For the crispiest crust and most succulent interior, frying is the way to go. It’s a bit of extra work to flip the crab cakes on the stovetop, but the reward is well worth it.
Is it better to cook crab cakes in butter or oil?
… it is your decision how you choose to fry your crab cakes, as both oil and butter will work equally well depending on your taste and cooking preferencesSep 20, 2023
What is the best way to cook pre-made crab cakes?
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the crab cakes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or lightly greased. Heat for about 10-15 minutes, or until they are heated through and the exterior is crispy. You can flip them halfway through for even heating.