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Seafood. I cannot express the deep love I have for seafood without underselling it. Today I’m going to show you how to make one of my favorite seafood dishes, Maryland Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce.
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I usually spend my summers down at City Island in the Bronx, and it has been that way since I was a child. They have tons of restaurants running along the strip, serving up the best seafood you can find in the Bronx. Whenever crab cakes are an option as an appetizer on any menu, there is a 99% chance I’ll order them. I was so excited when I figured out how to make these at home, and I am happy that I get to share them with you now. This recipe was adapted from Chef Taylor Boudreaux’s recipe.
What is A Maryland Crab Cake?
Maryland Crab Cakes are known for being big on the crabmeat and very light on the fillers. They don’t have a bunch of add-ins, like Louisiana crab cakes (which include green onions, celery, and bell peppers – explained in this article). Maryland crab cakes are also traditionally broiled, unlike other crab cakes that are pan fried.
Maryland Crab Cake Ingredients
- Lump Crab Meat – These crab cakes are very abundant and heavy on the crab meat. That’s what makes them so special! You’ll need one pound of it.
- Mayonnaise – One of the binders that will hold these crab cakes together.
- Panko Bread Crumbs – Another binder, but we’re not using a lot of it since we don’t want too much filler. I only use ¼ cup per pound of crab meat.
For the rest of the ingredients, please see the recipe card below!
Remoulade Sauce Ingredients
This remoulade sauce might honestly be my favorite crab cake sauce. It’s smoky from the addition of smoked paprika, and tangy with a hint of sweetness from the sweet relish. It’s an overall very well balanced sauce that compliments these Maryland crab cakes in the best way.
How To Make Maryland Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce
STEP ONE
In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, old bay seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and sugar. Mix until everything is thoroughly combined and taste the mixture for seasoning. Add your egg to this, and mix to combine.
STEP TWO
Add the lump crab meat into the bowl and gently fold it in until every piece is evenly coated with the mixture. Add in the panko breadcrumbs and parsley and mix gently. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the crab cake mixture for 30 minutes.
STEP THREE
While waiting for the crab cake mixture to chill, you can make the remoulade sauce. Mix mayonnaise, Dijon, mustard, sweet relish, hot sauce, rice vinegar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, ground black pepper, and lemon juice into a small bowl until thoroughly combined.
STEP FOUR
Preheat an oven to 400°F. Coat the bottom of a 12 inch cast iron skillet, or a baking dish, with 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter.
STEP FIVE
Remove the crab cake mixture from the refrigerator and begin shaping into eight even sized balls, about 3 tablespoons each. Space them out evenly into the skillet and add another tablespoon of butter (broken into pieces) all around the crab cakes. Sprinkle the crab cakes lightly with more old bay seasoning.
STEP SIX
Place into the oven for 15 minutes to cook through. Remove crab cakes from the oven and stick them under the broiler on high for five minutes, or just until the tops are golden brown. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice and serve. Serve remoulade sauce with crab cakes.
Check Out This Video on How I Make Maryland Crab Cakes:
Maryland Crab Cake Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Refrigerating the crab cake mixture for 30 minutes hydrates the breadcrumbs and helps the crab cakes stay together once they are ready to be baked.
- I use an ice cream scoop to portion out the crab cakes easily. This recipe should make about eight 3 tablespoon sized crab cakes.
- Store remoulade sauce in the refrigerator, covered well with plastic wrap, and keep for up to two weeks.
Maryland Crab Cake Recipe FAQ’s
What can I serve with Maryland crab cakes?
Remoulade sauce is almost always my first choice to pair with Maryland crab cakes. They also go great with tartar sauce. You can eat them as is, or wrap them in a bun with lettuce, tomatoes, and sauce of your choice to make a crab cake sandwich!
How long do you bake Maryland Crab cakes?
These crab cakes are baked in the oven for fifteen minutes in a cast iron skillet, and then broiled for an additional five minutes until the tops are golden brown.
More Recipes You’ll Love:
PrintMaryland Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 8 Crab Cakes 1x
Description
These Maryland Crab Cakes filled with jumbo lump crab meat served over a Remoulade Sauce are the most perfect seafood appetizer for any occasion! Adapted from Chef Taylor Boudreaux.
Ingredients
Maryland Crab Cakes
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 lb lump crab meat
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
Remoulade Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons sweet relish
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, old bay seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and sugar. Mix until everything is thoroughly combined and taste the mixture for seasoning. Add your egg to this, and mix to combine.
- Add the lump crab meat into the bowl and gently fold it in until every piece is evenly coated with the mixture. Add in the panko breadcrumbs and parsley and mix gently. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the crab cake mixture for 30 minutes.
- While waiting for the crab cake mixture to chill, you can make the remoulade sauce. Mix mayonnaise, Dijon, mustard, sweet relish, hot sauce, rice vinegar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, ground black pepper, and lemon juice into a small bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Preheat an oven to 400°F. Coat the bottom of a 12 inch cast iron skillet, or a baking dish, with 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter.
- Remove the crab cake mixture from the refrigerator and begin shaping into eight even sized balls, about 3 tablespoons each. Space them out evenly into the skillet and add another tablespoon of butter (broken into pieces) all around the crab cakes. Sprinkle the crab cakes lightly with more old bay seasoning. *see note
- Place into the oven for 15 minutes to cook through. Remove crab cakes from the oven and stick them under the broiler on high for five minutes, or just until the tops are golden brown. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice and serve. Serve remoulade sauce with crab cakes.
Notes
Refrigerating the crab cake mixture, hydrates the breadcrumbs and helps the crab cakes stay together once they are ready to be baked.
I use a large ice cream scoop to portion out the mixture into 8 even sized crab cakes easily.
Store remoulade sauce in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, and keep for up to two weeks.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Chill Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: appetizers, seafood
- Method: Baking
Disclosure: This post was originally published in May 2020. It was updated in June 2024 to add new photographs and information. The recipe remains the same.
Jeanne McLaughlin says
I hope they are as good as I have been told. I am from Maine and now I live in Florida.
Speshyl says
Hi Jeanne, thank you for leaving a comment! I personally love them. If you decide to make them, please let me know how they come out! 😊