These Maryland crab cakes get the stamp of approval from locals and out-of-towners alike. This classic lump crab cake recipe combines the flavors of lemon, parsley, and Old Bay seasoning, but the most flavor comes from the crab meat itself. For the best texture, use lump crab meat, very little filler, and bake the cakes in a very hot oven.
I’ve lived in Maryland for over half my life and say with 100% honesty that crab cakes are as essential as the air this state breathes. My husband was born and raised here and has crab-feasting down to a science. Crab isn’t just food, it’s a way of life here. I’ve served these particular crab cakes to locals and out-of-towners alike, all of whom rave about the recipe. I’m really proud of it and am so excited to share these Maryland crab cakes with you!
One reader, Lois, commented: “I am 65 years old and from southern Maryland. I have finally found the BEST crab cake recipe ever! I have tried many over the years, but this is the one! My husband and I have these for dinner twice a month. I don’t like ordering crab cakes out at restaurants anymore, because I know I can make these at home, and they always taste amazing… ★★★★★”
Another reader, Annie, commented: “Oh my! I live in Ohio and I’ve never had the opportunity to get a real Maryland crab cake. I decided to make this recipe and I’m telling you, it is the best crab cake I’ve ever had. I love crab cakes but living in the Midwest, I rarely find a crab cake that’s worth eating at a restaurant. So glad I found your recipe. ★★★★★”
I’ve also published solid recipes for Maryland crab soup as well as crab dip!
Overview: How to Make Maryland Crab Cakes
Crab cakes make a wonderful main dish or even as a sandwich on a toasted bun. If shaped smaller, mini crab cakes are a fabulous finger food. With this recipe, you can be confident that you ALWAYS have a quick dinner recipe in your back pocket, as well as an impressive crowd-pleasing appetizer. They make great leftovers, too.
The full written recipe is below, but here’s an overview.
- Whisk the flavors and binders together.
- Add the crab meat & filler.
- Very gently mix together: Fold the ingredients together slowly and carefully. If over-mixed, the lump crab meat will break apart.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes: This is a key step in the recipe. Make sure the crab cake mixture is cold before you shape it into individual cakes. There is little filler in this recipe, so the cakes will fall apart if the mixture is not refrigerated before cooking.
- Grease baking pan & preheat oven. The oven gets pretty hot, so I don’t recommend using parchment paper. Grease the pan or use a silicone baking mat.
- Portion into cakes: Use a 1/2 cup measuring cup to scoop and portion out the mixture. Form into individual cakes. Place on the greased baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake the cakes on very high heat for about 12–14 minutes.
Baking vs. Sautéing: Some cook crab cakes on the stove, but I prefer the baking method. When cooked on the stove, crab cakes are often flattened into patties so the center cooks. For thick jumbo-style crab cakes, I recommend baking them in the oven at a high temperature. They cook very quickly and remain extra plump.
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.
Ingredients in Maryland Crab Cakes
Let’s walk through each ingredient so you understand its importance. While there are a few flavorful and binding ingredients, the real star of this crab cake is the crab itself. These flavors and binders simply enhance the true taste of crab.
- Egg: Egg is the main binding ingredient in crab cakes.
- Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise is another binding ingredient. I don’t like mayonnaise and I LOVE these crab cakes, so if you aren’t a mayo person, don’t worry. You can’t taste it.
- Fresh Parsley: Fresh herbs are a MUST in crab cakes. Sometimes recipes or restaurants use dill, but fresh parsley is most common. If needed, you can use dried parsley.
- Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard is another must-have ingredient in crab cakes. I don’t recommend any other type of mustard—just dijon.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Just a small amount provides big flavor, just as it does in chicken meatballs, black bean burgers, and beer cheese dip.
- Old Bay Seasoning: What is Maryland crab without locally made Old Bay seasoning???
- Lemon Juice & Salt: Fresh, balancing flavors.
- Crab Meat: The leading role in the whole recipe.
- Cracker Crumbs: Drumroll please… the filler in this crab cake recipe is cracker crumbs. There is so much debate on what the best filler is and, trust me, some of the best crab cakes are made with CRACKERS! See more below.
Since we’re baking the crab cakes and not sautéing them in butter or oil, brush the cakes with a little melted butter prior to baking. This tiny addition gives them that unmistakeable restaurant flavor. When they come out of the oven, squeeze a little lemon juice on top!
Crab Cake Filler
While we have binding ingredients like mayonnaise and egg, crab cakes need a filler so they remain intact when cooked. And this is where people are very opinionated: what is the best filler? I’ve tested many and have even asked popular restaurants to spill the beans—most are very secretive about the crab cake ingredients they use! My #1 crab cake filler choice is cracker crumbs—specifically, saltine cracker crumbs. Bread crumbs are flavorless and too crunchy. Go for the saltines! To make the crumbs, you can place the crackers in a zipped-top bag and crush the heck out of them with a rolling pin, or you can use a little ninja, a big food processor, or even a blender.
What to Serve With Crab Cakes
Keep it simple and serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon. These Maryland crab cakes are so juicy and flavorful that they don’t need tartar sauce or cocktail sauce, but both are popular finishing touches. (I love a touch of cocktail sauce with mine.) If you’re making crab cakes for a big family meal or on your menu of Memorial Day recipes, here’s what I recommend serving with your crab cake dinner:
- Cornbread and/or corn on the cob
- Caesar salad
- Baked potatoes or roasted potatoes
- Zucchini casserole
- Steamed vegetables
- Dinner rolls
- Coleslaw
- Asiago-crusted skillet bread
- Homemade garlic bread
For even more inspiration here are 15+ summer dinner ideas! And don’t forget the chocolate chip cookies or vanilla cupcakes for dessert!
Print
Crab Cakes Recipe (Little Filler)
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 large crab cakes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
For the best texture, use lump crab meat, little filler, and bake the cakes in a very hot oven. Serve with lemon wedges, a garnish of chopped parsley, and/or cocktail sauce or tartar sauce. For more success tips and to learn which crab meat to use, see blog post above.
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup (60g) mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning (up to 1 and 1/2 teaspoons for a spicier kick)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more for serving
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound (454g) fresh lump crab meat*
- 2/3 cup (41g) saltine cracker crumbs (about 17–18 2-inch crackers)
- optional: 2 Tablespoons (30g) melted salted or unsalted butter
Instructions
- Whisk the egg, mayonnaise, parsley, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, lemon juice, and salt together in a large bowl. Place the crab meat on top, followed by the cracker crumbs. With a silicone spatula or large spoon, very gently and carefully fold together. You don’t want to break up that crab meat.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
- Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). Generously grease a rimmed baking sheet with butter or nonstick spray, or line with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup, portion the crab cake mixture into 6 mounds on the baking sheet. (Don’t flatten!) Use your hands or a spoon to compact each individual mound so there aren’t any lumps sticking out or falling apart. For extra flavor, brush each top with melted butter. This is optional but recommended!
- Bake for 12–14 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges and on top. Drizzle each with fresh lemon juice and serve warm.
- Cover leftover crab cakes tightly and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: You can freeze the portioned unbaked crab cakes for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, brush with melted butter, then bake as directed. You can also freeze the baked and cooled crab cakes for up to 3 months. Thaw, then warm up in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 10–15 minutes or until warmed throughout. Or bake the frozen crab cakes at 350°F (177°C) for about 25–30 minutes.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat | Pastry Brush
- Which Crab Meat to Use: For any questions regarding which crab meat to use, see Best Crab Meat for Crab Cakes in the blog post above. I highly recommend fresh (refrigerated) lump crab meat.
- Smaller Sizes: For smaller crab cakes, divide the mixture into 12 1/4-cup portions. For mini crab cakes, divide into 24 2-Tablespoon-size portions. Bake at the same oven temperature. The bake time is shorter for these smaller sizes. The crab cakes are done when the tops and edges are lightly browned.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made these crab cakes a couple months ago and they were awesome! Easy and quick to make and great for a weekday dinner (even though they taste like something that should be saved for a special weekend night dinner!) I always thought crab cakes were a difficult and time consuming thing to make, but this recipe is fantastic. I’ll be adding it to my dinner rotation often! Another plus, my picky eater kids loved them too!
No need to search for a crab cake recipe again. This is it! Sally, you nailed it! My family went crazy and wouldn’t stop complementing me. I was almost embarrassed, mainly because this recipe is so easy that it’s sinful. I love that there isn’t any heavy filler and that the main event is the crab. I will be making these all summer. Note: I served them with Stonewall Kitchen Aioli. It’s my favorite but if you have a homemade one that you like, let me know. Thanks!
I love this recipe. I have been making crab cakes for my husband and myself for the last year because of the pandemic . I love to bake them in my big muffin tin and no mess because I use big cupcake wrappers. They are delicious and are as good as the seafood restaurants here in Austin. I can’t wait for my sister to come from Southern Maryland to make these for her.
Oh Em Gee! Absolutley delicious! I was raised in Maryland and crab cakes were a staple in our home. THIS is better than anything I’ve had…homemade or in a restaurant. I added a little onion and celery…but WOW!!! Must try these!!
Just made 24 crab cakes for Mother’s Day for a Maryland family- everyone raved about them. They were fantastic, restaurant worthy. Used Jumbo Lump- worth the difference over lump, not one shell. Cut back on the cracker crumbs just a bit and added a couple of dashes of Tabasco sauce. Out of this world. Taste tested other recipes prior to picking this one, no where close. Thanks for posting.
Best crab cakes ever!!!! A absolute must try recipe even for the novice cook. Definitely recommend the extra ole bay seasoning.
I’m not from Maryland but I love crab cakes and we thought this recipe was great!
I used Ritz crackers instead of saltines and cut back on the butter – I think Ritz are pretty buttery anyway. I loved the flavor – top notch!
Amazing crab cakes! We add more old bay because we love it. These get asked for repeatedly at my house, even from my son who has never liked crab cakes before.
Sally, Thank you. Fixed it for my mom today MOTHERS DAY! We loved it. I doubled the recipe because we love seafood. Absolutely the best I’ve ever made and have ever tasted even when I lived in Maryland. Thank you for sharing. NOTE: No need for additions…I used 1/4 cup measure to scoop out and I got 20 out of 2 lbs. Refrigerate as directed….made the difference!!!!
I’m spoiled because I was born/raised in Maryland. Specifically on the eastern shore, was crabbing by the time I was 10. Live in Annapolis now. I followed the recipe step by step. Identical ingredients. Identical measurements. Identical cook. Meh. ‘Ok.’ Nothing to write home about. Delivery from Blackwall Hitch or Julep are as good. Carry out from Blue Dolphin better. Picking up from the Narrows just off Kent Island WAY better.
But it was fun making them.
I have been making these for some time from the similar recipe at delish.com (they fry theirs). Great idea to bake and brush with some fat. Loved by all.
I made these last night. I am so pleased with how they turned out! I don’t think I’ll ever buy them again, knowing I can make them twice as good at half the cost! Thanks for the great recipe; I’ve already shared it.
This is the recipe I use ALL the time! We have a large family here – six kids and three adults, and crab is a bit spendy for the number of crab cakes I would need to feed all of us, even living in Maryland close to the bay. My money saving trick? I bake a LOT of unseasoned tilapia, then follow this recipe, substituting the cooled cooked tilapia for the crab. They’re delicious, and the Old Bay makes them taste very similar to crab cakes. Everyone loves them! Any mild white fish would probably work.
I made crab cakes from this recipe, turn out perfect, didn’t have OBAY but used Cajun Seasoning…Thank You.
I came back from a trip to Annapolis wanting MORE crab cakes. I’m so glad I found your recipe. Hands down-the best I’ve had. They were a huge hit for dinner. I wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you!!
I consider myself somewhat of a crab snob, so it goes without saying that “little filler” in your recipe title got my attention. I have lots of family on the ESVA, and while I never lived there full-time, I spent many summers there as a kid, and even got a crab pot for my birthday one year. For those of you reading the reviews looking to see if any tweaks need to be made… don’t change a thing! This recipe is spot on, authentic as can be and tastes like crabmeat (not a bunch of, well, filler!). Can’t wait to try your hot crab dip recipe next!
Made exactly as stated. Turned out well. Rich and delicious. Used kerrygold butter to brush over top. Yum!
Wonderful recipe ,I made your recipe but added ,mrs. dash and red bell peppers and accent salt…..also next I will try Ritz cracker instead of saltines for more flavor.
thanks again .
This is my “go to” recipe. I’ve made it several times. It is so good. Thank you.
The recipe is absolutely wonderful my crab cakes came out perfect thank you for the recipe
I also come back to your recipe for crab cakes every time I make them. It’s such a good recipe! So tasty!! Guess it’s time I peruse your other recipes too. Thanks!!
These were really good! I used canned crab (not lump) because that’s what I could find at my regular Indiana grocery store. I think I can find lump somewhere, but I had a craving and wanted to make these ASAP. Really tasty, though I might reduce the salt slightly next time I make them. Also loved that I could prep them in the morning and have them ready to bake with minimal prep later.
This is my second time making these crab cakes… simply delicious!!! My husband said they were the best he’s ever had! It is a must try…you won’t regret it!
Turn out great!
Excellent recipe!
Outstanding recipe! I’ve tried to spin it to make it my own but it doesn’t need any kind of spin. I might try a low and slow smoke version on the grill but probably unnecessary lol.
Wow! Spending summers on the Eastern Shore as a kid made me want to try this recipe. Spot on! Added a little sherry and garlic to my butter, but besides from that followed it as described! Came out AMAZING and better than expected. Recipe saved and thanks for sharing!!
I absolutely love this recipe. I come back to your website every time I make crab cakes!
I made these last night for dinner and they were the best crab cakes my husband and I have ever had, including restaurants in Maryland! I used the smaller 1/4 C size and halved the recipe since I only had half a pound of lump crab available. Although I had them at 450, they still took the full time to bake. Since they weren’t browning nicely, I turned the broiler on for a minute. I didn’t have any saltines on hand, but did have Naan Crisps which were perfect as the filler. I will use those again for this recipe since this came out so great. Thanks to this simple recipe, I won’t be afraid to make crab cakes ever again!
I made 8 oz of lump crab meat, as you said you did& halved the ingredients. Thanks for the tip on using the 1/4 cup measure to form the cakes. All worked out well. The crab cakes were delicious!
Note: I used panko instead of the crackers to make the crab cakes to make them lighter.
Has anyone tried this with Panko bread crumbs? Would that work?
Hi Denise, You can use Panko, but we’re afraid they might be a bit too coarse in the center. Let us know if you try them!
I tried the Panton crumbs as I don’t like saltiness. It was moist inside. I just let the mixture sit overnight in refrigerator so that the panko crumbs could soften. They turned out moist.
Went exactly by the recipe, but the saltines made the crab cakes very salty. I used 14 crackers.
FINALLY! Thank you for showing how to make a real Maryland crab cake. I was born in Maryland, lived here most of my life, and have been making crab cakes and salmon cakes this way for over 50 years. Again, thank you.