Here in the Pacific Northwest we have Dungeness crabs. They’re ginormous compared to their East Coast Maryland crab brethren, typically weighing in between 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 pounds apiece. In California, they’re in season in the winter, though further North you can easily get them any time of year. With all that heft, Dungeness crab have plenty of meat for making the most delectable, delightful crab cakes. These homemade crab cakes are a step-up riff off a recipe I found years ago in Ruth Reichl’s Comfort Me with Apples. We are using Dungeness crab because that’s what we have here. On the East Coast? Feel free to use Maryland crab for this recipe.
How to Prepare Crabmeat for Crab Cakes
You can buy lump crab meat already cleaned and prepped. But if you have access to fresh crab and Dungeness crabs in particular, I recommend it. The crabs are sold cooked and already cleaned.
Tip: Whether buying already prepped crab meat, or whole cooked crab, look for the freshest crab or crab meat you can find; it should smell sweet, not fishy.
We like to use a nutcracker to crack the crabs beyond what the fishmonger has done, and then use cocktail forks to gently pull out the crab meat. You can also use cooking shears to cut through the crab shells to get to the meat. Remove any bits of shell, trying not to break up the lumps of crabmeat as you pick through it. We started with two 2-pound Dungeness crabs, which were then cleaned and cracked, resulting in about 1 1/4 pounds of lump crab meat. This yielded a dozen homemade crab cakes.
Chill the Crab Cakes Before Cooking Them
The difficult thing with crab cakes is that they don’t hold together that well when forming them, and they can easily fall apart when frying them.
The trick is to handle them delicately to begin with, and then chill them on a breadcrumb-lined pan for at least an hour before cooking them.
That time in the fridge will go a long way in helping them stay together as they cook. There isn’t a lot of binder in this crab cake recipe, so it needs the chilling time.
What Kind of Sauce Do You Serve With Crab Cakes?
You can eat these crab cakes plain, as they are, with just a simple squirt of lemon juice or lime juice to brighten them, or you could serve them with a sauce such as a homemade tartar sauce or remoulade.
Make Ahead or Freeze
Need to make ahead? Form the uncooked crab cakes, wrap the individual crab cakes in plastic, put them in a freezer bag, and freeze them. They’ll keep for up to 1 month in the freezer. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before cooking them. How long will they last? Crab meat, like all seafood, degrades quickly over time. So it’s best to make them as soon as you get your crab meat (wait no more than a day), and once you cook them, eat them up. They’ll last a day or two in the fridge.
Love Fresh Crab? Here Are 5 More Recipes to Try
Corn, Crab, and Old Bay Deviled Eggs Cioppino Hot Crab Dip Crab Cakes with Ginger and Lime Spicy Crab Cakes with Horseradish Mayo
Cook until the shallots are translucent, a couple minutes. Do not brown. Let the shallots cool. Gently fold in the crabmeat and torn bread, taking care again to not break up the lumps of crab meat. The mixture will be very wet. Set the crab cakes in one layer on the top of the layer of breadcrumbs and sprinkle them with the remaining breadcrumbs. When the foam subsides, working in batches, place the crab cakes in the pan (do not crowd the pan), and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side.
