Pan Fried Crab Cakes are easy homemade crab cakes cooked in a cast iron skillet. A simple crab cake recipe made with fresh lump crabmeat. The crab patties are mixed with egg and saltine cracker crumbs and pan-seared to perfection.
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Cooking crab cakes in a cast iron skillet is the best way of frying crab cakes, in my opinion. Call me Southern, but there's just something about a good ol' seasoned cast iron skillet to get that perfect sear on a fried crab cake.
Check out my list of substitutions and variations further down so if you can use what you have available to make this fried crab recipe.
Shortcuts
- No need to dredge the patties in any breading before frying.
- Pan-frying is not deep-frying. You do not need cups of messy oil to dispose of later.
- Only needs one bowl because of the order of ingredients.
What is the best way to cook crab cakes?
That's a loaded question, because it depends on many factors. I prefer pan fried crab cakes. This method produces a crispy outside crunch with golden brown edges and with minimal amount of fat.
You can also air fry crab cakes, bake, broil, and deep fry them.
Air fryer crab cakes is not a bad option with minimal cleanup and oil. See directions for these in the NOTES in my printable recipe below. Deep fried crab cakes also produces the golden, crispy edges but then you have all that oil to do something with.
Ingredients
Scroll down to printable recipe for ingredient quantities.
How to cook crab cakes
Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe with detailed instructions.
- Whisk the egg in a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients except crabmeat and cracker crumbs. Stir well.
- Add crabmeat and cracker crumbs.
- Gently fold in the lump crab pieces and cracker crumbs into the egg mixture just until combined.
- Cover and chill this mixture in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Shape into four 3 to 3 ½-inch patties.
Tip: Don't skip the step of chilling in the fridge. It helps the crab patties hold together while frying.
How to cook crab cakes in cast iron skillet? It's my favorite way to pan fry crab cakes. Cast iron is an excellent conductor of heat and a seasoned skillet acts like a nonstick skillet.
Fry the crab meat patties in real butter (not margarine) or a combination of butter and oil. Ghee (clarified butter) has a higher smoke point than just butter.
I also like to fry them in bacon drippings I've saved and refrigerated.
How long to pan fry crab cakes?
Fry the crab cakes 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat or until golden brown on the bottom. Gently turn them over and cook 2 to 3 more minutes until golden brown.
Don't be tempted to turn the heat up past medium.
Remove the seared crab cakes from the skillet and drain on paper towels before serving.
What is lump crabmeat?
Jumbo lump crab meat vs. lump crab meat vs. backfin and claw meat - Jumbo lump crab is the larger, whole white pieces of crabmeat that come from the crab legs. It's the most expensive of the choices. Lump crabmeat is smaller pieces of leg meat and slightly less expensive. Backfin is finer pieces of crabmeat from the body. Claw meat is just that- darker pieces of crabmeat pulled from the active claws of the crab.
What is pasteurized crabmeat?
Pasteurized crabmeat has been treated at a high temperature to kill any harmful microorganisms but has to stay refrigerated. It's one step down from fresh crabmeat and one step up from canned crab.
Substitutions & Variations
- How to make crab cakes with canned crab- If you don't have access to fresh lump crabmeat or want to make cheap crab cakes, you can make them with cans of crab meat. Be sure to read the labels to make sure it is actually crabmeat.
- Imitation crab- Not my fave, but it's an economical choice. It's actually colored, formed surimi fish made to look like whole crab leg meat. It can be found in the seafood case as well as the freezer section.
- Ritz cracker crumbs, breadcrumbs or any buttery cracker can be substituted for saltine cracker crumbs.
- Any mild creole seasoning, seafood seasoning or seasoned salt can be substituted for Old Bay Seasoning.
Pro Tip: Cook's Illustrated recently wrote that you can help pasteurized and canned crabmeat taste more fresh by letting it soak in milk for 20 minutes, then drain well.
I haven't tried this so let me know in the comments below the printable recipe if you try it.
Helpful Information
The answer is yes. You can pan fry crab cakes in both oil and butter or either one. Butter adds flavor but refined olive oil, canola oil, ghee, and peanut oil have a higher smoke points. The best of both worlds is to use half butter and half oil.
What to serve with crab cakes
Serve fried crab cakes hot or cold.
- They can be an appetizer just make the crab cakes a little smaller with a flavored mayonnaise.
- Crab cakes are perfect for brunch served with hollandaise sauce.
- Place them on a toasted bun as a sandwich for lunch.
- Serve with a side salad as a dinner entree.
- Side dishes to serve with crab cakes: roasted or boiled potatoes, Corn and Avocado Tomato Salad, cole slaw, green salad, and steamed broccoli.
How to store leftover crab cakes
Fridge: Store any leftovers in the refrigerator, covered or in an air tight container.
Freezer: Freeze in an air tight container, sealable freezer bag or vacuum seal with a FoodSaver.
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Pan Fried Crab Cakes
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces jumbo lump or lump crabmeat
- 1 medium or large egg
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon zest
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 11 saltine crackers, crushed (about ⅓ cup)
- 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
Instructions
- Carefully look through crabmeat to remove any pieces of shell.
- Whisk the egg in a medium bowl until lightly beaten. Add mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and Old Bay seasoning and stir well.
- Add crabmeat and cracker crumbs. Very gently, fold the crab and crackers into the egg mixture, keeping the lumps of crab intact.
- Cover and chill at least 30 minutes up to 2 hours. This helps hold the patties together when cooking.
- Gently shape crab mixture into 4 patties. Melt butter in a large skillet. Cook the patties in butter over medium heat for 5 minutes or until golden. Turn the patties and cook 4 minutes on the other side or until golden.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition analysis on GritsAndGouda.com recipes are mostly calculated on an online nutrition calculator. I am not a dietitian and nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on products used.
Cathie Bernavich
Instead of patties, could i make these in bite-size balls and deep fried?
Kathleen
I know they would be tasty, but since I haven't tried shaping them into balls and frying them, I'm wondering if they would hold together enough since it is light on breading and heavy on crab. I would love to know if you do try this!