Crab cakes are a quick and simple seafood appetizer or main dish that will impress and delight the whole family any night of the week! Crushed Ritz crackers, lemon juice, crab meat, seasonings, and mayonnaise are mixed together to form the cake patties. Making my homemade crab cakes is incredibly straightforward and delicious!
Pan Fried Crab Cakes Recipe
These crab cakes only take 15 minutes to make and are packed full of sweet and mild seafood flavor! Crushed Ritz crackers and mayonnaise holds the cakes together perfectly and creates the ultimate crispy texture.
This delicious recipe is light on fillers so the few added ingredients won't take away from the crab's delicate flavor. Whip these crab cakes up to serve on any weeknight or for a dinner party with friends and family!
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🥘 Crab Cakes Ingredients
This recipe may seem like it has a lengthy list of ingredients, however, all items are easy to find at the grocery store! If you are not a fan of mayonnaise, I promise that it does not overwhelm the flavor of the crab and makes the perfect binder to hold the patties together.
- Egg - 1 large egg.
- Mayonnaise - 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise.
- Green Onion -1 tablespoon of green onion (minced).
- Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Dried Tarragon - 1 teaspoon of dried tarragon (optional).
- Salt & Pepper - ½ teaspoon each, salt & pepper.
- Red Pepper Flakes - ⅛ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Crab Meat - 8 ounces of crab meat.
- Ritz Crackers - ½ cup of Ritz crackers (crushed, or use plain breadcrumbs).
- Butter - 1 tablespoon of butter.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Crab Cakes
Crab cakes are easy and quick to make, there is no need to be intimated by making this dish. You will only need a mixing bowl, measuring spoons, spatula, and skillet to get started.
This crab cake recipe makes 4 servings of 2 full-sized patties. Serve with your favorite sides or as a tasty appetizer dish!
- Whisk ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, use a whisk to mix together your 1 large egg, 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of minced green onions, 1 teaspoon of dried tarragon, and ⅛ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Fold in crab. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the 8 ounces of crab meat.
- Add crackers. Next, slowly add in the ½ cup of crushed Ritz crackers until the mixture can stick together.
- Form patties. Use your hands to press the mixture into 8 equal-sized patties.
- Heat butter. In a skillet, add your 1 tablespoon of butter and place it over medium heat.
- Cook and serve. Once hot, cook the crab cakes for 5-6 minutes (or until they turn golden brown), flip, and repeat on the other side. Serve immediately.
Crab cakes make the most excellent seafood appetizer or main course meal. I would serve them with my roasted green beans and roasted potatoes for a complete meal! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice is best in this crab cake recipe. If using fresh lemon, I like to include lemon zest in the mixture as well.
- If you don't have green onions on hand, finely dice or grate some yellow onion instead.
- You can prepare these crab cakes ahead of time! Simply combine your ingredients and form the patties, then cover them and store them in the fridge for up to 1 day. Cook as directed when ready!
Storing & Reheating
Keep any leftover crab cakes in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To store your leftover crab cakes in the freezer, simply wrap crab cakes tightly in plastic wrap and heavy-duty foil, then place them into a freezer bag. They can be frozen for up to 6 months. Allow the crab cakes to defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Reheating Crab Cakes
Heat your crab cakes in a skillet with a tiny bit of olive oil over medium heat until warmed all the way through.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Lump crab meat is the best to use to have mouth-watering bites of crab even when adding other ingredients. You could also use a mixture of lump crab and back fin meat.
If you are making crab cakes as a main dish, I would pair these patties with something light and fresh like my cabbage Greek yogurt slaw, roasted red potatoes, Greek salad, or pan seared brussel sprouts.
It is better to bake the crab cakes to make sure that they don't fall apart when flipping the patties than if you were to fry them.
😋 Best Seafood Recipes
- Spanish Seafood Paella- A delicious one-pot dish made with rice, smoky chorizo, mussels, and shrimp!
- Cajun Seafood Boil- This seafood boil is packed full of crawfish, shrimp, sausage, corn on the cob, potatoes, and more!
- Seafood Chowder With Smoked Salmon- A hearty main course dish that combines white fish, bay scallops, clams, and smoked salmon!
- Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta- A savory and creamy shrimp pasta dish that will satisfy your seafood cravings!
- New England Clam Chowder- A classic clam chowder dish perfect for any weeknight dinner!
- Garlic Shrimp Alfredo Bake- This delicious garlic shrimp alfredo bake is so cheesy and garlicky, your family will fall in love!
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📖 Recipe Card
Crab Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon green onion (minced)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon (optional)
- ½ teaspoon each, salt & pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 8 oz crab meat
- ½ cup Ritz crackers (crushed, or use plain breadcrumbs)
- 1 tablespoon butter
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, use a whisk to mix together your egg, mayonnaise, lemon juice, minced green onions, dried tarragon, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the crab meat.
- Next, slowly add in the crushed Ritz crackers until the mixture can stick together.
- Use your hands to press the mixture into 8 equal-sized patties.
- In a skillet, add your butter and place it over medium heat.
- Once hot, cook the crab cakes for 5-6 minutes (or until they turn golden brown), flip, and repeat on the other side. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice is best in this crab cake recipe. If using fresh lemon, I like to include lemon zest in the mixture as well.
- If you don't have green onions on hand, finely dice or grate some yellow onion instead.
- You can prepare these crab cakes ahead of time! Simply combine your ingredients and form the patties, then cover them and store them in the fridge for up to 1 day. Cook as directed when ready!
- To store: Keep any leftover crab cakes in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To freeze: Wrap crab cakes tightly in plastic wrap and heavy-duty foil, then place them into a freezer bag. They can be frozen for up to 6 months. Allow the crab cakes to defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- To reheat: Heat your crab cakes in a skillet with a tiny bit of olive oil over medium heat until warmed all the way through.
missy b says
I am a bit confused about the instructions to cook these crab cakes. In the FAQ for the crab cakes recipe you indicate the crab cakes are best BAKED. Your recipe says to fry the crab cakes? If I want to bake the crab cakes so they are more stable than frying them, at what oven temperature would they best be baked at to cook through? Thank you.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
They can be baked, some would say that baked are better for health reasons (and easier to flip as noted in the FAQ). To bake, heat your oven to 450F and cook for about 12 minutes.
Note that I prefer the fried version. 🙂