When you live in Maryland, eating Chesapeake blue crabs and crab cakes is practically a religion—and, in my family, we are all loyal devotees. Every summer, we hit all of our favorite crab shacks, from local joints all the way to dives on the Eastern shore, where you can look out over the Bay and put your feet in the sand.
I’d never attempt making steamed blue crabs at home (live crabs, giant steamers—yikes!) but I do often make crab cakes, which are just as delicious and so much easier to prepare, not to mention eat. The key is to use fresh lump crabmeat and to go light on the filler. These have just enough filler to bind the crabmeat together and also add great flavor. I love them with the quick tartar sauce below, but you could also serve them with lemon wedges or cocktail sauce.
What you’ll need To Make Maryland Crab Cakes
The most important thing when you’re making these is to use fresh, good quality lump crab meat. I get mine at Whole Foods, which can be expensive, but one pound is enough to make six generous crab cakes (or 12 mini ones), which feeds my family of four easily. Celery is not traditional in Maryland crab cakes, but I love the little crunch it adds; feel free to leave it out if you’re a purist.
How to make them
To begin, combine the eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, salt, celery, and parsley in a bowl.
Mix well.
Add the crab meat (be sure to check the meat for any hard and sharp cartilage) and panko; gently fold mixture together until just combined, being careful not to shred the crab meat.
Shape into 6 crab cakes (about ½ cup each) and place on a prepared baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This is really important to help the crab cakes set.
Preheat a large nonstick pan to medium heat and coat with canola oil. When the oil is hot, place crab cakes in pan and cook until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Flip and cook 3 to 5 minutes more, or until golden. Be careful as the oil may splatter.
How To Make Tartar Sauce
Combine the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, sweet pickle relish, red onion, lemon, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Whisk well, then cover and chill until ready to serve with the crab cakes.
Enjoy!
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
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