How To Make Crab Cakes That Don’t Fall Apart – Easy Recipe
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These delicious crab cakes are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and full of fresh crab flavor in every bite!
This easy crab cakes recipe makes delicious crab cakes that don’t fall apart. Crab meat is mixed together with crushed Ritz crackers, egg, green onion and some flour, then pan-fried in a little oil until golden brown.
If you ever tried making crab cakes and have them fall apart on you when you tried to flip them, you must try this recipe. Finally, a foolproof easy crab cakes recipe that makes crab cakes that don’t separate and crumble! I guarantee these crab cakes will stay in one piece, even if you are not an experienced cook. So if you are looking for a perfect first-time crab cakes recipe to wow your family and friends, this is it!
The Secret Of Preventing Crab Cakes From Falling Apart
The secret to my recipe is the addition of flour. If you search for crab cakes recipes on the Internet, you’ll find that most of them don’t include flour. Lack of flour to bind them is precisely what makes them fall apart. I don’t add too much flour – too much of it would make the crab cakes tough. A little flour goes a long way, and I just add a perfect amount to keep the crab cakes together while having them remain tender and juicy.
On the picture above, you can see that I was cooking these crab cakes on a large pancake griddle :) That’s why it’s rectangle-shaped (not round like the usual frying pan). I like using a griddle for large pan-frying jobs, as it’s temperature controlled (so nothing will burn) and fits a lot of stuff at once, saving a lot of time. I was doing a double-batch of crab cakes (16 total) and they all fit perfectly on this huge griddle. Of course, you can use a frying pan, so don’t let this picture throw you off :)
For best tasting crab cakes, use fresh lump crab meat. However, if all you can get is the canned crab meat, it’s fine too, just make sure you use a good brand of crab meat that tastes good when you try it out the can – your crab cakes will be as good as the crab meat that does into them :)
Crab cakes can be served as either an appetizer or a main dish. I always serve mine as an entree – they are perfect with mashed potatoes! You can top crab cakes with mayo, tartar sauce or a shrimp cocktail sauce – all these sauces go really well with these tasty golden-brown crab cakes!
Easy Crab Cakes Recipe - How To Make Crab Cakes That Don't Fall Apart
Ingredients
- 1 lb lump crab meat preferably fresh, but you can use canned drained crab meat
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 5 green onion stalks
- 1/2 cup Ritz or saltine crackers crushed (approximately 15 Ritz crackers)
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp oil
Instructions
- Use the food processor fitted with a steel blade to crush the Ritz crackers and turn them into crumbs.
- Mince the green onions in a food processor.
- In a large bowl, combine the crab meat, crushed crackers, flour, minced green onion, egg, mayo, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and mix with your hands until combined.
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
- Shape the crab mixture into patties, put the patties on a frying pan (make sure they are not touching) and cook on one side for 4 minutes.
- Carefully flip the crab cakes with a spatula, and cook for another 4 minutes (or until golden-brown on both sides).
What delicious looking crab cakes! Happy Holidays Melanie!
Thanks Peachy! Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Thanks for sharing your secret Melanie!! I love eating crab cakes :D
I’ve had my share of crab cakes that fell apart when flipping them until I stumbled upon my secret ;)
They look so very delicious, Melanie.
Happy Holidays!
Angie
Thank you, Angie! Happy Holidays to you too!
Love crab cakes and flour is a great trick. they look amazing! Wishing you happy Holidays and all the best for the New Year. I just revealed my blog new name.
Thanks Evelyne, these crab cakes are truly yummy! Happy Holidays to you too! I love your blog’s new name!
Finally! A recipe for non-fall apart crab cakes. Thanks so much. My favorite addition to crab cakes is a bit of Old Bay seasoning- to give a slight taste of Maryland. Happy New Year to you!
Great idea – I love Old Bary seasoning, it always goes so well with seafood! Happy New Year to you too!
There is nothing better on this earth than a great crab cake — and yes to the Ritz crackers!
Ritz crackers have the best texture – crispy, buttery and melt-in-your-mouth crumb, that’s why they make the best binding for delicious crab cakes!
Made these for lunch! AMAZING! I hate bell peppers and love the simple deliciousness of this recipe. It’s a keeper!
These crab cakes look delicious and easy to make.
Using Ritz crackers is such a smart idea.