Easy Maryland-Style Crab Cakes Recipe

My classic Maryland-style Crab Cakes with Garlicky Yogurt Sauce are absolutely delicious – for dinner, lunch, or just a nifty appetizer! They are savory, summery, and totally addictive with my easy homemade crab cake sauce.

side shot of arranged crab cakes on a white plate

An Easy Crab Cake Recipe

This recipe hits all the right notes, and it’s a breeze from start to finish. The ingredients are all easy to find, even if you don’t live on the coast! Using canned crabmeat, mayo and dried herbs, and a few surprise ingredients (hello, Panko!), you’ll be able to pull this recipe off in no time.

A sprinkling of freshly diced red bell pepper accents the natural sweetness of the crab, while scallions and lemon juice add that zesty, coastal flavor.

INGREDIENTS

For the Crab Cakes:

Canned Crab meat: You can also use fresh! But canned is easy to find, and available year-round.
Panko Bread Crumbs: You can use pork rind crumbs, regular crumbs, or just any seasoned bread crumbs that you have on hand!
Red Bell Pepper
Scallions
Mayonnaise: It’s fine to use light, regular, or keto-friendly.
Egg
Lemon Juice
Old Bay Seasoning: This is a key ingredient! It really adds that authentic New England flavor.
Dried Herbs: I used thyme and oregano.
Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder
Vegetable Oil and Butter

crab cakes mixture in a glass bowl

For the Crab Cake Sauce:

Plain Yogurt
Fresh Garlic
Dried Herbs
Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper

HOW TO MAKE CRAB CAKES

Combine the “Filler” Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, combine panko crumbs, the peppers, scallions, mayonnaise, egg, and lemon juice, and the Old Bay seasoning, dried herbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Add Crabmeat: Drain and flake the crabmeat, add it to the filler, and stir it all together until well combined. If the mixture is too wet, add more Panko crumbs to reach desired consistency.
Shape into Patties: Divide the mixture into eight portions. Roll into balls, and then coat the balls in Panko crumbs. Flatten into patties.
Cook Patties: Heat oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet. Add crab cakes and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer crab cakes to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
Prepare the Yogurt Sauce: In the meantime, prepare the dip by adding all the dip ingredients to a small mixing bowl; whisk to combine.
Serve and Enjoy!

cooking crab cakes in hot oil

TIPS FOR THE BEST CRAB CAKES

Chill your crab cakes: To firm up the cakes before cooking, try chilling them for 15 minutes. Make sure to cook thoroughly.
Try using lump crab meat: Lump crab meat makes the most hearty cakes, but any type of crab meat will be tasty!
Crab cakes can also be baked: Preheat the oven to 400˚F, line a baking sheet with parchment, and bake for about 10 minutes on each side, or until golden-brown and cooked through.

close up shot of yogurt dip in a white bowl

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Crab cakes can be served in a number of awesome ways!

Appetizers: Try making mini-crab cakes and serving them with dip. You can also place a thin slice of tomato, cucumber, or avocado on top of each cake with a toothpick.
Sandwiches: Crab cakes taste wonderful on a bun. Try using the dip instead of mayonnaise, and top with a crunchy piece of iceberg lettuce. If your patties aren’t very large, you can use a slider bun instead of a sandwich bun! Sweet Hawaiian rolls make fantastic sliders.
Fish ‘n’ Chips: Bake up a batch of steak fries and nestle them into a basket with two or three crab cakes for a tasty spin on fish and chips. Serve with malt vinegar.
With Salad: I love serving these crab cakes with a summery salad recipe, like Tabbouleh Salad or this Grilled Zucchini Salad with Corn.

top shot of crab cakes served with yogurt dip

HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT LEFTOVERS

To store: Wrap leftover crab cakes in plastic wrap, or gently fold up in clean paper towels and place in food storage bags or containers. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Reheating in the oven: To reheat, in the oven, place the unwrapped cakes in a covered baking dish and heat for 10 minutes or so at 350˚F, or until heated through. Do not overcook, or the cakes will dry out.
Reheating on the stovetop: To reheat on the stove, melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet and gently saute the patties for 2-3 minutes per side, until heated through. Do not overcook, or the cakes will dry out.

More Easy Seafood Recipes

ENJOY!

Tools used in this Recipe

Crab Cakes

Delicious, easy Maryland-style crab cakes with a garlicky yogurt dipping sauce.

Course: Dinner/Appetizers

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4

Calories: 305 kcal

Ingredients

1 ½ to 2 cups pork panko crumbs, divided, (you can also use regular seasoned breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon dried herbs, (I use thyme + oregano)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cans (6 ounces each) crab meat, drained and flaked
3 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter

For the Yogurt Dip

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried herbs, (I used mint + parsley)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Reserve 1/2 cup crumbs and set aside on a plate.
In a mixing bowl combine 1 cup crumbs, peppers, scallions, mayonnaise, egg, lemon juice, old bay seasoning, herbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Add the crab meat and stir it all together until well combined. If mixture is too wet, add more crumbs to the crab mixture to reach desired consistency.
Divide the mixture into 8 balls.
Place reserved crumbs in a plate and roll each crabmeat ball in the crumbs; gently flatten to make a thick patty.
Heat oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add crab cakes to the hot oil; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown.
Flip over the crab cakes and continue to cook for 3 more minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
Transfer crab cakes to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
In the meantime prepare the Yogurt Dip by adding all the Dip ingredients to a small mixing bowl; whisk to combine.
Serve crab cakes with the Dip.