Crab Cakes Recipe Panko Breadcrumb Will Never Disappoint

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Shellfish people, you know the power of a juicy well-seasoned crab cake. The seafood patty is meant to be a savory, meaty, a little crunchy and flavorful with just the right amount of Old Bay seasoning. The next time you’re having guests over and you want to whip up foolproof crab cakes that you can make into sliders or a salad, here’s how to do it.

The Ingredients

Veggies come first. You want a pop of color with your crab cakes since the rest will look golden brown. So what are the best veggies for the job? We like to go with scallions and bell peppers. You’ll want to thinly slice the green onions and finely chop the bell peppers into small pieces. If you can find a medley of yellow, red, green and orange peppers, chop those babies up and add them to the mix. Sauté the veggies in a little vegetable oil or olive oil to make them nice and soft for the crab mixture.

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The Technique

The best kinds of crab cakes start with the best binders (the batter that keeps the crab cakes together) while keeping them juicy at the same time. In a medium bowl, start out with one large egg, beaten. Add Japanese-style panko bread crumbs (about one cup) to the egg mixture along with a splash of milk. To give the crab cakes an umami taste, add a little bit of Worcestershire sauce. Combine a little bit of dijon mustard, lemon juice, Old Bay seasoning — a blend of herbs and spices like celery salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and paprika — and a little bit of hot sauce.

Whether you want to go with Sriracha, Tabasco or a small-batch local brand, a little hot sauce goes a long way. For an Asian twist on the umami component, try adding a little bit of ponzu or tamari instead of Worcestershire. Don’t forget the salt and pepper! Give your mixture a taste before you add the crab. Once the crab is added, it’s hard to go back if you’ve overseasoned.

To assemble the crab cakes, form the crab meat into patties. Make them as small or big as you want. You want to make sure the mixture isn’t too liquidy. If it seems a little bit watery, add more panko breadcrumbs. Refrigerate the cakes for a half hour and then roll them in a little bit of extra panko. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add your crab cakes to the pan and cook until both sides are golden brown.

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How To Serve It

Tarter or remoulade are the best sauces for the job. Tarter sauce is a mayo-based sauce that’s often mixed with capers, pickles, lemon juice, dill and sometimes tarragon. A remoulade sauce is another mayo-based sauce with mustard, paprika, creole or cajun seasoning, horseradish, pickles, hot sauce and garlic. Both of these sauces are a cool contrast to the juicy crab cakes. Serve these crab cakes on their own, on a soft slider bun, on top of your favorite salad or make your own crab cake Benedict.

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