Crab meat is a delicious and versatile ingredient that can elevate many dishes. From appetizers to main courses, crab meat works well in a variety of recipes. Here are 19 delicious ways to use crab meat in your cooking:
1. Crab Cakes
Crab cakes are a classic way to enjoy crab meat. To make crab cakes, combine lump crab meat with breadcrumbs, egg, mayonnaise, Old Bay seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, parsley, and other spices Form into patties, coat with breadcrumbs, and pan fry until golden brown Serve with lemon wedges or remoulade sauce.
2. Crab Dip
Warm and creamy crab dip is perfect for parties and gatherings. Sauté shallots and garlic, then mix with lump crab meat, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Transfer to a baking dish, top with cheese, and bake until bubbly. Serve with crackers or raw vegetables.
3. Stuffed Mushrooms
Crab meat makes a tasty filling for stuffed mushrooms Sauté shallots and garlic, then combine with crab meat, cream cheese, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, lemon juice, and seasonings. Stuff mixture into mushroom caps and bake until hot and browned
4. Crab Salad
A crab salad is a light and refreshing way to eat crab meat. Simply mix together lump crab meat with mayonnaise, lemon juice, diced celery, minced onion, parsley, Old Bay seasoning, salt, and pepper. Chill and serve over lettuce or as a sandwich filling.
5. Crab Soup
Adding crab meat turns an average soup into a luxurious meal Make a seafood stock using shells and mirepoix. Add potatoes, corn, and seasonings. Then gently stir in lump crab meat just before serving. Garnish with parsley.
6. Crab Rangoons
These crispy appetizers are a crowd favorite. Mix together cream cheese, crab meat, green onions, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Place tablespoons of the mixture into wonton wrappers and seal. Fry in hot oil until golden and crispy.
7. Crab Pasta
Transform pasta into an elegant entrée with crab meat. Make any white pasta sauce, like alfredo or lemon cream sauce. Stir in lump crab meat just before tossing with hot pasta. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.
8. Crab Quiche
For a savory brunch dish, add crab meat to quiche. Make a quiche as usual, with eggs, cream, cheese, and seasonings. Fold in lump crab meat once filling is combined. Pour into a pie crust and bake until set.
9. Crab Pizza
Topping pizza with crab meat adds subtle seafood flavor. Spread pizza dough with sauce and cheese as usual. Add lump crab meat and drizzle with lemon olive oil or ranch dressing before baking.
10. Crab Salad Sandwiches
A crab salad makes for an incredible sandwich filling. Mix together canned crab meat, mayo, celery, onion, lemon juice, and seasonings. Spread on bread, toast, or rolls to make easy yet elegant sandwiches.
11. Crab Enchiladas
For a Mexican-inspired crab dish, make crab enchiladas. Fill tortillas with a mixture of crab meat, salsa, and cheese. Roll up and bake with enchilada sauce and more cheese until hot and melty.
12. Crab Fried Rice
Cooking crab meat with fried rice adds a tasty twist. Make fried rice as usual with veggies, eggs, and seasonings. At the end, gently stir in lump crab meat just until heated through.
13. Crab-Stuffed Fish
Crab stuffing can upgrade a mild white fish like tilapia or cod. Mix together canned crab meat, breadcrumbs, egg, mayo, lemon juice, garlic, and seasonings. Stuff into fish fillets and bake until fish is opaque and stuffing is golden.
14. Crab Cakes Benedict
For next-level Eggs Benedict, use crab cakes instead of English muffins. Make crab cakes and pan fry as usual. Top each crab cake with ham, poached egg, and hollandaise sauce for an indulgent brunch.
15. Crab Boil
For an easy seafood boil, add crab legs and crab meat. Boil sausage, potatoes, corn, and spices in a large pot. Add crab legs and cook until bright red. Stir in canned crab meat just until heated through to serve.
16. Crab Quesadillas
Quick crab quesadillas make an easy weeknight meal. Sauté onion and poblano pepper, then mix with canned crab meat. Place mixture between tortillas with cheese and cook until golden brown.
17. Crab Salad Lettuce Wraps
For a lighter meal, serve crab salad in lettuce wraps. Mix together canned crab meat with mayo, celery, onion, lemon juice, herbs, and seasonings. Spoon mixture into lettuce leaves for hand-held wraps.
18. Crab & Artichoke Flatbread
This recipe combines crab meat and artichoke hearts on flatbread. Mix together canned crab meat, artichoke hearts, red onion, mayo, lemon juice, and seasonings. Top flatbread with cheese and crab mixture, then bake until melted.
19. Crab & Avocado Toast
For an easy appetizer or light meal, make crab toast. Mash avocado and mix with canned crab meat, lemon juice, and seasonings. Toast bread, spread with avocado-crab mixture, and garnish with cherry tomatoes.
Crab cake Recipe Video Tutorital
A Maryland favorite made easy—these crab cakes are packed with fresh lump crab meat and pan-fried to perfection.
- 2 large eggs
- 2½ tablespoons mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmanns or Dukes
- 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup finely diced celery, from one stalk
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 pound lump crab meat (see note below)
- ½ cup panko
- Vegetable or canola oil, for cooking
- 1 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmanns or Dukes
- 1½ tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon minced red onion
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.
- Combine the eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, salt, celery, and parsley in a large bowl and mix well. Add the crab meat (be sure to check the meat for any hard and sharp cartilage) and panko; using a rubber spatula, gently fold the mixture together until just combined, being careful not to shred the crab meat. Shape into 6 cakes (each about ½ cup) and place on the prepared baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This helps them set.
- Preheat a large nonstick pan over medium heat and coat with oil. When the oil is hot, place the crab cakes in the pan and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Be careful as oil may splatter. Serve the crab cakes warm with the tartar sauce.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, relish, mustard, onion, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The crab cakes can be formed, covered, and refrigerated a day ahead of time before cooking. The tartar sauce can be made and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance.
- Note: If you can only find jumbo lump crab meat, you may need to break the pieces up a bit. If the clumps are too large, the crab cakes wont hold together well.
- Note: The nutritional information does not include the tartar sauce.
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- Serving size: 2 crab cakes
- Calories: 299
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Sodium: 1141 mg
- Cholesterol: 275 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
What You’ll Need To Make Maryland Crab Cakes
- Eggs: Help bind the crab cakes so they hold together when cooked.
- Mayonnaise: Adds moisture and richness to the crab cakes and serves as the creamy base of the tartar sauce. Use a good-quality brand like Hellmann’s or Duke’s for the best flavor.
- Flavorings: A mix of Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay seasoning, and fresh parsley gives the crab cakes classic Maryland flavor with a touch of tang, savoriness, and freshness. (The mustard also adds a little zip to the tartar sauce.)
- Celery (optional): Adds a bit of crunch to the crab mixture—nontraditional but a nice touch. Skip it if you’re a purist.
- Lump Crab Meat: The star of the recipe. Fresh, high-quality lump crab meat is best—look for it in the seafood section in clear plastic containers resting on ice. If that’s not available, go for refrigerated crab meat like Phillips. Avoid canned shelf-stable varieties.
- Panko: Light, flaky Japanese breadcrumbs that help the crab cakes hold together without weighing them down.
- Vegetable Oil: Used for pan-frying the crab cakes until golden and crisp.
- Tartar Sauce Add-ins: Sweet pickle relish, red onion, lemon juice, and black pepper give the sauce classic flavor with the right balance of sweetness, acidity, and bite. Adjust to taste.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step 1: Mix the base. To start, whisk together the eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, salt, celery, and parsley in a large bowl until well combined.
Step 2: Mix in the crab and panko. Add the crab meat (double-checking for any bits of shell or cartilage) and the panko. Gently fold the mixture together until just combined. Be careful not to break up the delicate crab meat too much—the lumps are the best part!
Step 3: Shape and chill. Form the mixture into 6 cakes, using about ½ cup for each. Place them on a foil-lined baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour to help them firm up. Don’t skip this step—it makes a big difference in helping the crab cakes hold their shape when cooking.
Step 4: Cook the crab cakes. Preheat a large nonstick pan over medium heat and add a thin layer of oil. Once hot, add the crab cakes and cook for 3 to 5 minutes on the first side, until golden brown.
Carefully flip the crab cakes and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes until both sides are golden and the centers are hot. Watch out for oil splatter!
Step 5: Make the tartar sauce. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, sweet relish, onion, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Whisk until smooth, then cover and chill until ready to serve.
Step 6: Serve. Serve the crab cakes on a platter with the tartar sauce on the side. Enjoy!
EASY Crab & Shrimp Bisque Recipe for Busy Weeknights! ⏰
FAQ
What can I do with leftover crab meat?
- Smoke your Crab. For a different approach to your crab leftovers, try smoking them. …
- Add it to a pasta. Crab meat is a well known topping for pasta and can create a well rounded dish when added to. …
- Make a dip. …
- Seafood Charcuterie. …
- Crab Stuffing. …
- Make it a salad. …
- King Crab Meat Recipes. …
- Crab Rolls.
How can you use crab meat?
Here are some of our favorite ways to prep and serve fresh crabmeat — from simply baked or steamed crabs to old-fashioned crab boils. You’ll also get top picks for tempting crab appetizers, an iconic seafood salad, a lush crab soup, and the most indulgent eggs Benedict. You can get your fresh crab fix all day long.
What to make with crab meat other than crab cakes?
- Crab & Artichoke Dip. Add a little something extra to your classic artichoke dip recipe by adding some crab meat to the mix. …
- Crab Stuffed Salmon. …
- Crab Rangoons. …
- Crab Spaghetti. …
- Golden Papaya & Crab Salad.
What are the most decadent crab meat recipes?
Crab meat is a versatile protein loaded with nutrients and flavor. And whether it’s baked, broiled, grilled, or roasted, there isn’t a wrong way to cook this tender seafood. So, grab a fork and get ready to dive into some of the most decadent crab meat recipes you’ll ever try! 1. Easy Crab Cakes
What can I make with canned crabmeat?
Allrecipes is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family. Find quick and affordable dishes to make with a can of crabmeat, such as Crab Dip, Southwestern Crab. Cakes, and Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms. Get the easy recipes with canned crabmeat here.
What can I use instead of crab meat?
This recipe is mostly jumbo lump crab meat, but there is a little mayo, some lemon juice, butter, old bay, and celery to bring out the flavor a bit and add a little crunch. Keep in mind you can use any crab meat, snow crab legs, even or you could use lobster meat, or even shrimp in place of the crab.