These crab cakes are my Grandma Zelda's recipe, and they have been in our family for generations. I've never had a better crab cake in my life, and I've tried dozens!
Prep time: PT10M
Cook time: PT15M
Total time: PT25M
Rating
4.95 stars (37 reviews)
Keywords
Crab Cakes
Ingredients
16 ounces fresh jumbo lump crab meat
1 large egg
1/2 cup regular mayonnaise
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/8 teaspoon fines herbs ((I like the one sold by Spice Island, see notes))
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Categories
Main Course
Cuisine
American
Steps
Set the oven to low broil and place the oven rack near the top.
In a medium-sized bowl, carefully pick through the crab meat to remove any shells. Try not to break up the lumps. Be as thorough as possible.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and then add in the mayonnaise until combined.
Add the breadcrumbs and stir to combine. Add the Old Bay, fines herbs and garlic powder. Add the mustard and Worcestershire sauce, stir until well combined.
Gently stir the wet mixture into the crab meat, one spoonful at a time. This part takes some patience because you really want to avoid breaking up the lump meat as much as possible.
Carefully form 5-6 crab cakes.
Lightly grease the bottom of a baking sheet (cooking spray works well for this) and place the crab cakes on the sheet. Place a small piece of butter on top of each crab cake.
Broil on low for 12-15 minutes, keeping a close eye to make sure they don't burn. Don't flip them, just allow them to cook on one side the entire time (the lack of filler makes them very delicate). If the tops seem like they're going to burn, lower the oven rack. You're not cooking the meat but you want the filling to solidify and the egg to cook through.
If you want the tops a bit more golden, switch the broiler to the high setting for the last minute or so.
When the tops are golden brown, remove the pan from the oven and allow the crab cakes to cool slightly before serving.
I recommend serving them with Saltine crackers and dijon mustard. They also make a great sandwich.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 258 kcal
Carbohydrates: 7 g
Protein: 16 g
Fat: 17 g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Cholesterol: 71 mg
Sodium: 909 mg
Sugar: 1 g
Reviews
Jill on 2023-12-24 (5 stars): Absolutely the best recipe that I've found
Julie on 2023-10-31 (5 stars): Whew! Thanks, Paul of South Carolina and formerly Maryland. I'm a Virginia girl and you had me worried. Like the others who chimed in, I would not have been able to sleep tonight had others not corrected you. And, thanks for the apology. Even in Virginia we were about to faint! Great recipe, Brandy. (I cannot find the recipe - which was similar to this sans garlic - but it used a scallop as a binder. Blend the raw scallop in a blender with a little cream and then mix with the mayo mixture.) I will continue to use your recipe, Brandy!
Jennifer Vitkauskas on 2020-11-25 (5 stars): Born and raised in MD, years crabbing, eating crabs & making crab soup and crab cakes (i LOVE your recipe! There are a few restaurants that serve broiled crab cakes, similar to your recipe (G&M, Hellas, Romanos, Timbuktu, etc.).
I was just looking at a local circular, and they have lump crab meat $11.99, jumbo lump $19.99, MARYLAND lump $24.99 & MARYLAND JUMBO LUMP for $36.99.
I pick my own crab meat for crabcakes and crab soup. Once the crab is broken in half down the middle, then each half split in half should have a large lump (that's jumbo lump, one on each "half", or "two quarters), & then theres smaller lumps (simply "lump", or backfin). So, once you divide the crab into quarters, 2 quarters are typically meat that is in smaller amounts (not great for jumbo lump crab cakes), and the other two quarters are where you'll find the jumbo lump, and lump crab meat.
The only way you would not get jumbo lump crab meat from a maryland crab is if you don't cook it right and/or are unable to pull the jumbo lumps out delicately.
So two jumbo lumps per crab, & having to make sure not to break up the lumps, there's a reason why maryland jumbo lump crab meat is so much more expensive! (But so worth it!!)
Many crab places around here will ship crabs, and i know the restaurant G&M ships crabcakes. The thing is, 99% of the restaurants in MD use out of state crab meat. You should definitely order steamed crabs from a local MD place & try them! I know quite a few people who have left MD (most to FL, because the cost of living here is outrageous!)& they have done so & were satisfied! (Just wait until may/June...crabbing season starts in April, but, there's a chance they will be light/"muddy"!
I can assure you, MD crabs DO have "lump"(aka backfin), AND jumbo lump crab meat, & using my own crab meat, picked from local MD crabs, & your recipe, i haven't met a crab cake that comes close to mine! Lol
My family is small, so for thanksgiving, i make crabcakes, steam shrimp & get snow crab clusters. I start picking for my crab cakes in late may/early june. It takes quite some time, & quite a lot of crabs, but it's SO worth it!
Kenny on 2020-10-05 (5 stars): Blue crabs have 2 sections that yield what is referred to as jumbo or jumbo lump. If picked properly the piece of meat is roughly the size of the end of your thumb. Because there are only 2 per crab is why jumbo lump is so expensive. You have a nice recipe. The only difference in my family’s is that we use crushed saltines instead of bread crumbs.
Tricia L. on 2020-06-21 (4 stars): I'm 40 years old and have lived in Maryland all my life. My dad and I have crabbed many times in the Wye River. There is definitely lump crab meat in Maryland crabs. I've picked them since I was 4. I'm making crabcakes today and sat here and picked crabs to get the meat which includes about a pound of lump crabmeat. Took a lot of time but did it. This crabcake recipe is one of the best, the flavor was great and very very little filler, just enough to hold it all together pretty good.
Millie on 2020-04-11 (4 stars): Great recipe! I did change mustard to dry mustard. As a Maryland native I also increased the Old Bay. This recipe is the closest to the best - my Mom’s ! Family loved the crab cakes.
Paul Busman on 2020-02-13 (5 stars): I'd had crab cakes before when we lived in upstate NY, but when we moved to Maryland about 3 years ago I knew I had to make my own. I came across this recipe and they blew my wife and me away. Confession-- as a retiree I can't spend the $$ on the fancy schmancy crab so I use lesser grades. No worries, they're still great.I haven't seen broiling and the pat of butter in any other recipes but they make all the difference.
I'm a recipe tinkerer and it occurred to me that scallop cakes ought to be good too so I made them last night,using chopped up bay scallops. Success!! They were terrific and now I'm thinking of making cakes from other fish too. Thanks for this gem of a recipe.
Peggy on 2019-12-23 (5 stars): So many recipes to experiment with ... but what I love and appreciate about this recipe is the BROILING. These cakes, mostly crab meat, are luscious and delicate. A low broil (not as close to the broiler) and then finish at a high broil (closer to the broiler) give you the perfectly cooked crab cake with a beautiful crust. LOVELY!
Roxanne Gump on 2019-10-19 (5 stars): I agree 100%. There is a major difference between
Roxanne Gump on 2019-10-19 (5 stars): Jennifer My mother who lived till she was 97 plus a few months. She had always made her owned crab cakes too. She actually used a recipe very similar to your family recipe! One difference was she used dry mustard instead of the Dijon mustard. These were the very best crab cakes. Thank you for sharing all your special recipes with us.
