Jeff Misenti
June 3, 2026
Difficulty Level: easy
20 min Prep
15 min Cook
35 min Total
4 Servings
If you’re looking for a simple seafood recipe to test out, these crab cakes should be on your to-cook list. They’re ridiculously easy to make, taste great, and the spicy tomato sauce is something you’ll want to make for chips in the future.
This recipe uses lump crab meat for its quality, panko breadcrumbs for crunch, and a blend of flavors to give each bite that wow factor. Top it off with the heat from the sauce, and you’re covering all bases, from sweet to spicy and savory.
The cooking steps are no more complicated than mixing a few ingredients together. The hardest part is draining and checking the crab meat for any bits of shell. Check out the ingredients and cooking steps below for more.
Crab Cakes Recipe Ingredients
- 1 lb of lump crab meat, drained and picked over for shells
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup of finely diced celery
- 2 green onions, finely sliced
- 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, for frying
- 1/3 cup ketchup, for the tomato dip
- 2 tablespoons of chili sauce, for the tomato dip
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, for the tomato dip
- 1/2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, for the tomato dip
- 1/4 teaspoon of hot sauce, optional, for the tomato dip
- Pinch of Old Bay seasoning, for the tomato dip
- Lemon wedges and parsley, for serving
Crab Cakes Recipe Instructions
- Add the beaten egg, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Stir until smooth.
- Add the crab meat, panko, celery, green onions, and parsley. Gently fold everything together. Try not to break up the crab too much.
- Shape the mixture into 8 small patties. Place them on a plate or baking sheet.
- Chill the crab cakes for 20 minutes. This helps them stay together in the pan.
- While they chill, make the dip. Do this by stirring together the ketchup, chili sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and Old Bay in a small bowl.
- One the crab cakes have chilled, heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the crab cakes in a single layer. Cook for 4 minutes per side, until golden brown and crisp on the outside.
- Move the crab cakes to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack.
- Serve warm with the red tomato dip, lemon wedges, and parsley.
Nutrition
Calories: 260cal
Carbohydrate: 19g
Protein: 24g
Fat: 9g
Cholesterol: 165mg
Sodium: 900mg