Description
These crispy and flavorful crab cakes combine fresh crab meat with crunchy panko bread crumbs, zesty Dijon mustard, and finely diced vegetables, pan-fried to golden perfection and served with lemon wedges.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- ½ pound crab meat
- 1 ½ cup panko bread crumbs, divided
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup red bell peppers, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons minced red onions
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
Instructions
- Make Crab Mixture: Combine crab meat, 1 cup bread crumbs, egg, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, black pepper, finely diced red bell peppers, minced red onions, and chopped chives in a medium bowl. Mix gently until just combined to keep the crab texture intact.
- Form the Patties: Divide the crab mixture into four equal portions, each about ½ cup or 4 ounces. Shape each portion into compact cakes approximately 3 inches wide and 1 inch thick.
- Bread Crumb Coating: Pour the remaining ½ cup panko bread crumbs into a shallow bowl. Gently press each crab cake into the bread crumbs to coat the surface evenly on all sides.
- Cook the Cakes: Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil and allow it to heat. Carefully place the crab cakes in the pan and cook until the bottom side is golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for an additional 5 minutes until crisp and cooked through.
- To Serve: Transfer the crab cakes to a serving plate and garnish with lemon wedges. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce if desired.
Notes
- Make ahead: You can prepare the patties and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day before breading and frying.
- Storing: Leftover crab cakes should be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Reheating: Microwave crab cakes in 15 to 30-second increments until hot or bake at 350ºF (177ºC) until warmed through. For extra crispness, broil for a few minutes after reheating.
- Use lump crab meat for the best texture and flavor.
- Be gentle when mixing to keep crab meat chunks intact for a better crab cake texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 crab cake
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
