Baked Crab Cakes

Sweet and succulent crab meat is the star ingredient of these baked crab cakes. All the other ingredients—zesty lemon, bright herbs, a hit of spice from Old Bay and cayenne, celery for crunch, and just enough eggs and extra-crunchy panko breadcrumbs to hold the cakes together without making them bready—are there to showcase the crustacean’s delicate flavor.

A Chesapeake Star: Crab Cakes

When you’re enjoying fresh carb cakes, remember to send your thanks to the Chesapeake Bay, the region that perfected this classic Southern meal. We have a few favorite crab cake recipes—Crab Cakes With Key Lime Mayonnaise, for example—and almost all of the preparations involve popping the cakes into a hot skillet with oil to cook until they’re golden brown. There’s another way to prepare crab cakes, though, and it’s high time we all tried it.

Ingredients for Crab Cakes

Too many ingredients will mask the delicate flavor of the fresh crab, so we keep this recipe simple. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Eggs: This is the primary binder for the crab cakes.
• Worcestershire sauce: Just a bit adds a deep umami flavor and richness.
• Mayonnaise: This acts as a binder for the crab cakes but also keeps the cakes moist and tender.
• Dijon mustard: A small amount adds a brightness to the crab mixture.
• Old Bay: If it’s a Maryland-inspired crab cake, it needs this seasoning.
• Cayenne pepper: You can skip if you want—the Old Bay provides a nice hint of heat—but we like crab cakes with just a note of spicy backbone.
• Salt and pepper: To finish seasoning the meal.
• Lemon: You’ll use the zest in the crab cake mixture and the fresh juice as a last-second topper for each crab cake.
• Parsley and chives: Fresh herbs are a must with crab cakes. They keep the simple dish bright and fresh.
• Celery: This adds just a hint of crunch, a welcome note against the softer crab meat.
• Panko breadcrumbs: You won’t use much, but these breadcrumbs will help keep the crab cakes together while cooking.
• Crab meat: Lump crab meat is preferred. More on that below.

The Best Crab Meat for Crab Cakes

You want to look for lump crab meat when you’re shopping, ideally crab from Maryland. Chesapeake crab is sweeter and more buttery compared to West Coast Dungeness crab.

Also, look for hand-picked or “fresh-picked” crab. This indicates someone sorted through the crab meat to remove tough bits of cartilage or shell. (It wouldn’t hurt if you looked through the crab meat, too.)

Overview: How To Bake Crab Cakes

While we look forward to the arrival of crab cake season each and every year, we don’t always look forward to the amount of attention and culinary care we have to pay the crab cakes as they’re being prepared. Sometimes we want crab cakes on busy weeknights. What then?

That’s where oven-baked crab cakes come into play. Baking crab cakes in the oven is the solution, and it’s as easy as can be. It takes hot oil out of the equation, too.

• Step 1. Make crab cake mixture: Combine beaten eggs with Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Old Bay seasoning, salt and pepper, lemon zest, parsley and chives, celery, and breadcrumbs. Then, fold in the crab meat.
• Step 2. Shape crab cakes: Use a cup or spoon to scoop out about 1/2 cup of the crab cake mixture. Gently shape the crab cake with your hand, and put each one on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. (This helps the crab cakes keep their shape while baking.)
• Step 3. Bake crab cakes: Put the crab cakes in a 375°F oven and cook 25 to 30 minutes, flipping half way through. Serve with lemon wedges.

Baking Vs. Sautéing Crab Cakes

Sautéed or fried crab cakes are every bit as delicious as baked—and some may say they get a better crispy crust than baked crab cakes. (We’ll give them that.) But there are times when you’re cooking lots of crab cakes at once, or even just nights when you don’t want to babysit a pan spitting hot oil, and then baking crab cakes comes to the rescue.

Another benefit of baked crab cakes is the thickness. Most sautéed crab cakes have to be pressed out to a thinner shape so that they cook through quickly without burning the outside. But with baking, the crab cakes can be nice and thick and still cook perfectly.

Love pan-fried crab cakes? Then you’ll like these Gulf Crab Cakes With Lemon Butter.

What To Serve With Crab Cakes

Serve baked crab cakes with a fresh green salad, coleslaw, corn on the cob, or Old Bay fries, plus lemon wedges for garnish.

What sauces should you serve with crab cakes?

Classically, crab cakes are served with a remoulade or tartar sauce, but there are all sorts of seafood dipping sauces you could consider. At risk of blending seafood regions, this Creole Mayonnaise would be excellent with crab cakes.

How To Store Baked Crab Cakes

If you ended up with leftover crab cakes, the good news is you can store them for another day. Put any crab cakes in an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

To reheat them, you can gently warm them in the oven or an air fryer. You can also sauté them in a bit of butter in a skillet.

Test Kitchen Tips

Though we don’t call for it, there is one way to elevate the decadence of this dish: Brush the crab cakes with butter.

Melt a few tablespoons of butter, and brush the tops of the crab cakes before putting them in the oven. Then, when you flip the crab cakes, brush the bottoms with butter. Lastly, just before serving, give them one final swipe. The rich butter makes these seafood cakes just a bit more decadent.