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
Fabulous. Really true Maryland Crab Cakes! Love that there is no lot of filler and are just all about the crab.
Fabulous! I am from Virginia. My family and my husband’s family have both been making crab cakes and other crab dishes for generations. This recipe is by far the best I have ever tried – even better than our old family recipe. I didn’t make a single change except I didn’t have saltine crackers so I used organic Ritz crackers instead. I will never make another crabcake recipe again. This is the winner!
Surprisingly delicious…and easy. I used GF panko instead of crackers and dill instead of parsley, simply because I didn’t have all the ingredients. Thank you!
Crab cakes were delicious! Making them again very soon.
Two thumbs up!
This is our go to recipe for making crab cakes. I have used crushed Triscuit Rosemary and Olive Oil or Panko as a substitute for the saltines. Each worked out just as tasty. I even sent some to my ex for the kids’ weekend, told him how to bake them and put a little pat of butter on them. He’s been raving ever since. I am not sending him this page LOL!!
Excellent recipie. As a life long MD resident (7th generation) who grew up catching, cooking, and eating crabs this recipie is about as close to our family recipie as anyone in the family has seen. I’m in my late 60s and know a great crabcake recipie when I see one. 95% of local seafood restaurants who feature crabcakes don’t even serve MD crabmeat anymore. They have abandoned it for imported and in some cases when they can obtain it from our southern states. There is no comparison to the sweet flavor of a Mid Chespaeake Bay tributary crab. I’ve sampled blue crabs from every coastal state from Massachusetts to Texas. There is no comparison. Even the crabs that come out of the southern counties of MD don’t compare.
Only other difference we like to brush both sides of the cake with melted better and broil vs bake. Thanks for publishing this recipe.
I made these Crabcakes and they were delicious!!! I’d like to make them slight smaller….1/3 cup. How many minutes at 450 degrees would you suggest I bake them?
Hi Patti, we’re so glad you loved these crab cakes! We’re unsure of the exact bake time for slightly smaller crab cakes, but it should be pretty close to the written time. Keep a close eye on them and bake until lightly browned around the edges and on top.
So easy to make. Took longer in my oven. Very tasty. Can I reheat in the microwave
The best recipe..thank u
So delicious…chilling before shaping is key!
As a Maryland girl who relocated to Kansas years ago, I was never able to find the perfect, authentic crab cake recipe…until now❣️My family raved over these delicious morsels.
Since I must use canned lump crab meat, the preservative used is salty. My first batch turned out a bit too salty because of this. With my next batch I used unsalted-top Saltine Crackers, omitted the salt in the recipe, and added 1 tsp of sugar which perfectly balanced out the saltiness.
Since our family Loves Old Bay, I doubled up on this seasoning. I also added 1 tsp of Sriracha to add a hint of heat, something our favorite seafood restaurant in Maryland added to their crab cakes.
Thank you for posting this amazing recipe!
I brought home a crabcake from a Milford DE restaurant, and decided to try to make them myself. Hey, I don’t cook, but you made this easy! YUM!
Yum! We made these tonight as the recipe directed and they were amazing! We’re looking forward to make them again soon!
Your site NEVER disappoints! Love everything I’ve made from your recipes!
I live in Baltimore. This is the best recipe for crab cakes. My only alteration is to only use 1/4 teaspoon of old bay so it doesn’t drown out the taste of the crab.
Interesting, “saltine crackers”? Would you ever do ritz for a butter flavor or texture?
Hi Peter, Absolutely — same amount.
These are great but what are the nutrition facts in one
Hi Hunter, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Absolutely FABULOUS! & Super Easy to make
The recipe was delicious. I use Old Bay hot spice and added 1tspn of garlic powder. I deep fried the crab cakes to light golden. Yum…thanks.
Thank you for sharing your cooking method! We’re planning to fry ours and I was curious about the outcome; glad it worked out for you.
This is THE recipe. I have tried so many recipes and as long as my Crabcake wasn’t as good as Woodys, i knew i had to keep trying.
This recipe is it. The one.
The only change i made was captains wafers crackers because i didn’t have saltines.
Loved this recipe. Best for a Maryland crab cake. The little filler was perfect the crane was accentuated. Just enough Old Bay too.
Liked this recipe only thing lacking is exact oven temperature. You mention hot oven but really need to know how hot 400450 500
Hi Jeanne, in the actually recipe, you will see 450°F (232°C). We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
My granddaughter LOVES crab cakes but has recently been diagnosed as Celiac. What can I substitute the crackers with that is gluten free?
Hi Cathy! Other readers have reported using similar gluten free crackers or gluten free bread crumbs in the place of the crackers in this recipe. Let us know what you try!
I chopped up 2-3 raw shrimp to add to the crab meat for a filler. I didn’t change the recipe here except for that addition. I’m at work now and they are waiting for me to make and bake!!!
Some people substitute ground pork rinds in place of the crackers
Cathy, I am gluten intolerant, for the cracker crumbs I used Schär brand Entertainment Crackers (they are similar to Ritz). They worked great!! Old Bay seasoning is not labeled gluten free (though I think that it is), but to be safe I made my own blend with sweet paprika, smoked paprika, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper (a sprinkle of each came out to just about 1 teaspoon). Also, be sure your Worcestershire Sauce is gluten free. I only use Lea and Perrin’s, since it is labeled gluten free. This recipe is stellar!!
These were awesome crab cakes. I followed all instructions exactly. Next time, I will make two batches. One for my wife and one for myself with some crushed peppers since I like my food spicy.
I made these today for Mother’s Day. Huge hit! I grew up in Maryland, so this was a little slice of home for me. Thank you for the recipe.
My Aunt Susie who had a restaurant in Baltimore during WWII gave me this recipe:
1 lb. lump crab meat
5 Tblsp. Matsa-Meal
2 eggs
5 Tblsp. Mayo
1 tsp. mustard
1/2 tsp. Old Bay
Chopped Parsley
S&P
Mix all ingredients, leaving the crab last (fold in gently)
On medium heat, lightly fry in oil until golden brown.
I’ve added a small amount of chopped red pepper. This was an ingredient that was used at the Red Fox Inn in Middleburg, Va. I liked it a lot so I added this ingredient!
You should try this recipe – I think you’ll like it very much.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Best crab cake recipe I’ve tried!
I’ve made this many times and always delicious. A friend suggested using less old bay and using half what’s recommended in the recipe actually gave the crab meat a fuller flavor.
Excellent recipe. My addition is using Ritz crackers instead of saltines. Little more flavor and same effect. They crumble nicely as well
The crab cakes are the best!
Made these tonight! So very delicious
My family loved it! Thank you! Next time I’ll try air frying them! Has anyone tried it with this recipe?
Absolutely the best recipe for a Maryland crabcake. Thank you!!