Crab cakes with tartar sauce

The Story

Like my beloved lobster bisque, crab cakes with tartar sauce are an appetizer served in steakhouses all over the United States. But they’re not just a steakhouse staple. You can find them in many seafood-forward restaurants as well as sprinkled throughout menus of all kinds far and wide.

And it makes sense…they’re super customizable and lend themselves well to simple renditions as well as more out-of-the-box renditions. In my personal opinion, I like to add some flavorings to keep things interesting, but nothing too crazy to make sure you can really appreciate the natural sweetness of the crab. I don’t go as bare bones as chefs like Andrew Zimmern, but he has the right idea of keeping the condiments and adornments to the minimum and relying on the flavor of good quality ingredients.

Regardless of how you choose to flavor your crab cakes, it’s universally important to use as little filler as you can to not mask the taste and texture of the crab. AND to not overhandle the mixture to make sure the glorious lumps of crab don’t break down too much.

You are welcome to serve your crab cakes with a different sauce but bear in mind that creamy sauces match dreamily with crab cakes. You can also pick something like a remoulade (and to be honest I use some ingredients for my tartar sauce that are more typical in a remoulade), or go rogue and make some other type of sauce. Try out my cucumber dill yogurt with ranch vibes or use your favorite spicy mayo from a jar (like this one from the same company that makes Sriracha). Whatever floats your boat!

Difficulty: 3 on a scale of 1-5

Active time to prepare: 40 minutes

Total time to prepare: 1 hour and 40 minutes (including rest time for crab cake mixture)

Serves: 8 large crab cakes

The Ingredients

For the crab cakes:

2 Tbsp./28 g olive oil

1 small red pepper finely diced

3 stalks of celery finely diced

3 scallions minced

1.5 tsp/6 g Old Bay

1 pound/450 g lump crab meat

1/2 cup/110 g mayonnaise

1 tsp./5 g Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp./30 g fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup/30 g panko bread crumbs

Light-colored oil (like sunflower, canola, vegetable, etc.) for frying

For the tartar sauce:

1 shallot minced

1 Tbsp./15 g fresh lemon juice

1 tsp./5 g Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp./8 g Tobasco

1/4 cup/37 g finely chopped dill pickle

2 Tbsp./18 g minced capers

2 Tbsp./25 g chopped fresh dill

1 cup/220 g mayonnaise

1 tsp./5 g Dijon mustard

1 tsp./5 g whole grain mustard

For the assembly:

Optional garnish: lemon wedges

The Recipe

For the crab cakes:

1. In a large skillet set over medium heat, add the olive oil. Heat up until shimmering.

2. Add the red pepper and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened (10 minutes approx.).

3. Add the scallions and Old Bay. Cook until the scallions are warmed through and have lost a bit of their bite (3 minutes approx.).

4. Transfer the vegetables from the pan to a bowl. Cool to room temperature.

5. Add the crab meat to a large bowl. Pick through it, ensuring there are no small pieces of shell.

6. Add the mayo, mustard, and lemon. Mix gently and check for seasoning.

   *NOTE: Remember you’ll be adding other ingredients including bread crumbs, so the mixture should be highly seasoned.

7. Add the egg and panko. Mix to combine and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

8. Shape the mixture into patties.

9. Heat enough oil in a large sauté pan to form a layer 1/2”/1.25 cm deep.

10. Cook the crab cakes for 3 to 5 minutes on each side until nicely browned.

    *NOTE: The crab cakes are very delicate so try not to move them too much and flip them very carefully. I like to use a fish spatula.

11. When nicely browned, remove the crab cakes from the pan and drain on a baking sheet fit with a wire rack.

For the tartar sauce:

1. Mix the minced shallot, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and Tobasco. Set aside to marinade for 15 minutes.

   *NOTE: This step is important in order to tame the “raw” flavor of the shallot. If you don’t mind raw allium, you can skip this step.

2. Add the pickles, capers, dill, mayo, and the two kinds of mustard. Mix to combine. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

For the assembly:

1. Serve the crab cakes as quickly as possible after cooking them. If that’s not possible, warm them up in a low oven (150° C/300° F)

2. Place the tartar sauce on the plate along with 1 - 2 crab cakes depending on if you’re serving them for an appetizer or main course.

3. Optionally, serve with a lemon wedge.

DO AHEAD: You can make the crab cake mixture up to 8 hours in advance. The tartar sauce can sit in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

LEFTOVERS: Any leftover crab cakes can be reheated in an air fryer. Leftover tartar sauce will stay fresh for 3 days in the refrigerator.