The BEST Crab Cakes recipe couldn't be more delicious or easy, made with fresh lump crab meat, bell pepper, cilantro, mayo and spices. Serve them as an appetizer or main dish, topped with our crab cakes sauce.
Make the sauce by combining the ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve. (Can be made several days in advance).
Mix crab and seasonings: In a mixing bowl add the crab meat, bell peppers, one beaten egg, Old Bay seasoning, mayo, garlic, cilantro and salt and pepper. Gently stir just until blended.
Refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to 5 hours.
Form Crab Cakes: Beat the remaining egg and add to a shallow dish. Add the panko bread crumbs to another dish. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the mixture into your palm and flatten into a small disc, about 3 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the outsides of the crab cake patties with a tiny bit of cornstarch.
Dip each patty lightly in the beaten egg, and then coat them lightly with panko bread crumbs. I try to avoid doing a thick coating of crumbs because I like the crab flavor to shine through as much as possible.
Cook: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the crab cakes and cook for about 3-4 minutes on one side, until golden brown on bottom. Gently flip to the other side and cook for another 3 minutes, or until golden. Remove to a plate.
Serve warm with chipotle mayo sauce for dipping.
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Notes
Crab meat: Buy fresh lump crab for crab cakes, found in the refrigerated section near the seafood counter. Avoid crab meat that comes in a can, like tuna fish.Sauce: other popular sauces to serve with crab cakes include tartar sauce, remoulade sauce, cocktail sauce and horseradish-sriracha.Baked Crab Cakes: place them on a greased baking tray and bake at 400 degrees F for about 8 minutes, then flip and bake for 5-10 more minutes, until warmed through and crispy on top.Air Fryer Crab Cakes: Preheat air fryer to 375 degrees F. Arrange crab cakes in a single layer in the air fryer basket (you may need to cook in batches) and cook for about 8 minutes, until golden on top and warmed throughout.Vegan: Use vegan mayonnaise, and use 1/4 cup egg substitute in place of each whole egg.Make Ahead Instructions: Form crab cakes and store, covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge for a few hours ahead, before cooking. Freezing Instructions: You may freeze these crab cakes before pan frying. Wrap each one in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe bag. Freeze up to 1 month. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight before pan frying.