Baked Maryland Crab Cakes are light and packed with jumbo lump crab, old bay and served with a yogurt tartar sauce. This recipe yields 8 mouth watering crab cakes and will serve 4 (2 each) for an entree or 8 as a light appetizer.
Hello, buttery, crisp and delicious crab cakes!
Last year I flew out to Maryland for a long weekend and never once had a crab cake. WHY? Who knows but it’s one of my life’s biggest regrets. Luckily I make them at home all the time and can easily whip the up to scratch the itch. Although the vibe is not the same as sitting at the Chesapeake Bay with a glass of wine and a plate of crab cakes. However the neext time I’m in Maryland, this will be a reality.
To Make These Crispy Baked Maryland Crab Cake You Will Need:
Tartar Sauce:
- mayonnaise
- plain nonfat greek yogurt
- sweet pickle relish
- dijon mustard
- minced shallot
- lemon juice
- parsley
- kosher salt black pepper
Crab Cakes:
- jumbo lump crab meat
- mayonnaise
- plain nonfat greek yogurt
- egg
- hot sauce
- dijon mustard
- old bay seasoning
- crackers (crushed)
- lemon zest and juice
- kosher salt
- white pepper
- parsley
- melted butter
- lemon wedges, for serving
- cocktail sauce, for serving
- butter lettuce leaves, for serving
Start by making the tartar sauce first so it has time to chill and the flavors can meld.
In a medium mixing bowl, measure and add; 1/4 cup mayo, 1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot, 2 teaspoons minced parsley and season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
Whisk well to combine.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
There’s one key “rule” when making Maryland Crab Cakes and that is to splurge on jumbo lump crab meat. However if you can only find lump or a combination of lump and backfin, you’re fine to use those as well.
Why Jumbo Lump Crab Meat is best?
Jumbo lump crab meat is whole lumps of crab meat that is white in color and sweet in flavor. This meat comes from 2 mussels located in the body of the crab. Since this meat is considered premium, it tends to be more expensive. Expect to pay anywhere from $40-$50 per pound – but is so worth it.
Other types of crab meat include:
Lump: is smaller pieces of lump crab. It’s still sturdy body meat that can be used in crab cakes or salads.
Backfin: is flakey crab meat that is a mixture of the broken bits of lump crab and smaller pieces of body meat. While it can be used in crab cakes, back fin is also great in baked dishes and casseroles.
Claw: tends to be darker in color and stronger in flavor compared to jumbo lump. As you know, it’s great dipped in butter but can also be used in soups or to stretch out lump crab in a recipe.
Cocktail Claw: is the segment of the claw in which the most of the shell has been completely removed except for a little bit at the end. This acts as a handle for dipping the crab meat in sauces.
In a large mixing bowl add; 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon plain nonfat Greek yogurt, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon hot sauce, 2 teaspoons dijon mustard and 1 teaspoon old bay seasoning.
Whisk to combine.
Smells incredible already!
To the wet ingredients add 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat and 1/2 cup crushed crackers.
Use a rubber spatula to combine.
Use a half cup dry measuring cup to measure out each crab cake.
Place the crab cakes onto a parchment lined baking sheet and use your finger tips to form each crab cake but do not flatten. Brush with a little melted butter.
Bake at 450° for 12 minutes.
Using oven mitts, remove the crab cakes and position the oven rack 3 inches from the heating element. Preheat the broiler. Meanwhile, brush the crab cakes again with the remaining butter before broiling for a minute or 2. This way they get extra crispy and golden.
Watch carefully to avoid burning.
Serve with homemade tartar sauce, cocktail sauce and fresh lemon wedges.
The homemade tartar sauce is perfect and creamy and goes perfectly with the crispy crab cake.
Light, healthy and packed with lots of delicious flavor. You will fall in love with the crisp exterior and buttery interior of these baked Maryland crab cakes!
Enjoy! And if you give this Crispy Baked Maryland Crab Cakes recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Crispy Baked Maryland Crab Cakes
Ingredients
FOR THE TARTAR SAUCE:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon sweet relish
- 1 teaspoon dijon
- 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
- juice from 1/2 a small lemon
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
FOR THE CRAB CAKES:
- 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon plain nonfat greek yogurt
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
- 1/2 cup crushed crackers
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 generous teaspoon finely minced fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- lemon wedges, for serving
- homemade tartar sauce, for serving
- cocktail sauce, fro serving
- butter lettuce leaves, for serving
Instructions
TO MAKE THE TARTAR SAUCE:
- In a medium mixing bowl, measure and add mayo, greek yogurt, relish, dijon, shallot, lemon juice, parsley and season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to serve.
TO MAKE THE CRAB CAKES:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the mayo, yogurt, egg, hot sauce, dijon, old bay, lemon zest and juice, salt, white pepper and parsley.
- Add in the crab meat and crushed crackers. Use a rubber spatula to gently combine as to not break up the crab.
- Preheat your oven to 450°
- Use a 1/2-cup measuring cup to measure out each crab cake. Place onto a rimmed metal baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. Use your hands to shape (if necessary) but not flatten.
- Brush with some of the melted butter and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking.
- Remove the pan and use oven mits to move the oven rack 3-inches away from the broiler. Preheat your broiler and brush the crab cakes with remaining butter. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Watch carefully to avoid burning.
- Serve with tartar sauce, cocktail sauce and lemon wedges.
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THANK YOU in advance for your support!
I was born and raised in Baltimore and ate crabs and crabcakes all the time. While your crabcake may taste good…it is not the basic recipe. Our recipe is very simple: lump crabmeat. mayo, worchestershire sauce, egg. a drop of yellow mustard, Old Bay and a tad of parsley. We add a minute amount of bread crumbs to help the lump meat to hold together. Sometimes they use a mixture of lump with what is called “special “, which is crab meat that is picked out of the most intricate part of the body.
Agreed. I wish everyone that comes up with some unnecessrily spin on a crab cake would stop tossing Maryland in as a description. This is not a recipe that is a good or even passable representation of a Maryland crabcake. The author should have tried the real thing while in Maryland