Crab Cakes - Best Melt-in-your-Mouth Recipe - Everyday Dishes (2024)

FAQs

What keeps crab cakes from falling apart? ›

Refrigerate Your Crab Cakes

There's actually a pretty easy fix for this common problem. Simply stick your crab cakes in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. The time they spend there will allow the crab cakes to solidify their shape.

You will want a starch like mashed potatoes or rice, a nice saffron rice would go very well. You may want to serve any number of veggies like asparagus, brussel sprouts, fresh garden peas or wax beans. A nice salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and sliced mozzarella cheese.

Crab cakes are a versatile recipe - you can serve them hot or cold; they are suited for an elegant brunch, a delicious appetizer (when made a little smaller) or a hearty dinner with a side salad; and you can serve them simply with some lemon wedges or dress them up with a sauce.

Some popular toppings for crab cakes include remoulade sauce, tartar sauce, aioli, lemon wedges, and fresh herbs such as parsley or chives. Some people also like to add a drizzle of hot sauce or a sprinkle of Old Bay seasoning for an extra kick of flavor.

This method will give your crab cakes some buttery flavor without potentially becoming overwhelming. Ultimately, it is your decision how you choose to fry your crab cakes, as both oil and butter will work equally well depending on your taste and cooking preferences.

The eggs and mayonnaise act as a binder, but a filler is also important to help hold the patties together when they cook. Saltine cracker crumbs make the best filler for crab cakes.

Nothing complements the sweet and savory flavors of tender crab meat better than grilled vegetables, so if you're making crab cakes, go ahead and serve them with some grilled corn, asparagus, or onions for a splash of color and nice smokey and charred taste.

I purchase fresh crab meat sold in a 1-pound tub from the seafood counter in my grocery store. Sometimes the tubs are behind the glass or found on ice next to the seafood counter. For the absolute best crab cake (and crab dip!), I recommend using lump crab meat or a mix of lump crab meat and backfin meat.

Some chefs and home cooks do recommend using olive oil (even the extra virgin kind). Additionally, unrefined coconut oil can be fun to use if you are trying out an alternative crab cake recipe that also contains coconut or other complementary ingredients.

Is it better to bake or broil crab cakes? ›

Why broil and not bake? Baking will still cook your crab cakes but they won't get as crispy as broiling them will.

Now once you have your crab cooked and picked, here are my favorite dipping sauces to go with the crab meat. A simple Garlic Clarified Butter dipping sauce, Avocado Wasabi Mayonnaise dipping sauce and a Curry Mustard dipping sauce; all three are very different from each other but totally delicious.

For Shrimp, Crabs, and Scallops

Brownies, chocolate cookies dashed with sea-salt, chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel icing, warm and salty kettle corn, chocolate-covered pretzels, and dark-chocolate dipped and salt-dusted crostini are all scrumptious desserts!

Let your cake layers cool. After baking the layers, let them cool to at least room temperature. You may even wish to chill them in the fridge overnight, in order to minimize any chance of the cake crumbling or breaking.

Why are they mushy on the inside? Using canned crab meat that hasn't been fully drained may lead to extra liquid in the mixture, making the cakes mushy. Using low-quality crab meat may also lead to mushy cakes, which is why I recommend using lump crab meat.