American
Pan-Fried Crab Cakes
Lump crab is folded with mustard, Old Bay, and a little panko, then fried in a shallow layer of oil. The centers are cooked until the egg binder reaches 160°F.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 32 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
Why you’ll love it
- Just enough panko binds the crab without hiding it.
- Chilling the cakes keeps the lumps from falling apart.
- A shallow oil layer fries the crust without deep-frying.
- Checking 160°F means the egg in the binder is set.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Fold the crab, panko, egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, parsley, scallion, and salt together gently so the lumps stay large.
- 2
Shape 8 cakes and chill them 20 minutes.
- 3
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, using only enough to coat the bottom, well below halfway up the pan. If the oil smokes, turn the heat off and let it cool slightly.
- 4
Fry the cakes 3 to 4 minutes per side until deep golden.
- 5
Check the center of one cake. It should read 160°F so the egg binder is cooked and the crab is hot.
- 6
Drain briefly on a rack and serve.
Pro tips
- Pick through the crab for shells before you mix.
- Press the cakes just enough to hold; a hard pack makes them bready.
- Use lump crab, not shredded surimi, if you want large pieces.
Easy substitutions
- lump crab meat
- claw crab meat
- Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- panko breadcrumbs
- crushed saltines
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate in a covered container up to 2 days.
Reheating
Heat in a 350°F oven until the center reaches 160°F.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 296
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
Special occasion · Stovetop · Dairy-Free
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