Sitting along the water of the Eastern Shore in Maryland is a favorite summer pastime. A big brown bag filled with bright red steamed crabs tossed with Old Bay, a plate of Crab Cakes, and a pitcher of ice cold beer – it is the epitome of summer fun on the water. I personally like crab cakes with minimal filler, I want to taste the sweet and delicate crabmeat. That being said, be sure to buy good quality crabmeat such as backfin lump crabmeat, it has the same wonderful flavor and texture as jumbo lump but it’s in slightly smaller pieces – ideal for forming these Crab Cakes with Sriracha Aioli. Then simply serve with a squeeze of lemon. For a delicious breakfast dish, try replacing the Canadian bacon with Crab Cakes in Eggs Benedict.
- CRAB CAKE INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound backfin lump crabmeat
- 1 cup panko
- salt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon sriracha
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
- SRIRACHA AIOLI INGREDIENTS:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- pinch of cayenne
- In a medium bowl pick through the crabmeat, removing any shell. Add the panko and a generous pinch of salt. Gently combine.
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, dijon mustard, egg, Worcestershire sauce, and sriracha. Add this mixture to the bowl containing the crabmeat and panko. Combine well, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Scoop the crab mixture into a 3 inch ring mold, 1 inch thick, loosely packed. If you do not have a ring mold, just use your hands to loosely form 6 patties – again, 1 inch thick. Using a spatula, transfer the crab cakes to a plate or cutting board.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches, cook the crab cakes approximately 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. When flipping the crab cakes, use a second spatula if needed to assist in turning.
- While the crab cakes are cooking, combine the sriracha aioli ingredients in a small bowl.
- Garnish the crab cakes with fresh chives and serve with the sriracha aioli and a fresh lemon wedge. Enjoy!
can you bake them instead? would you know how long?
Hi Lindsey! Yes, absolutely! Simply preheat your oven to 375 degrees F, liberally spray and baking sheet with oil, then gently place the crab cakes on the pan, and spray the tops with a little more oil. Bake for 15 minutes, gently flip them over and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until golden-brown. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Crab in Marylands is one of my fondest memories from my travels in the states! And I totally agree about fillers – it is soooo disappointing when you see a juicy-like crab cake only to take a bite and find it is mostly fillers. It is very much the case here in Australia. I would LOVE to make this at home but there is no way I could afford it, crab is SO expensive here in Australia! I’m so jealous!!
Aww, if I could make these and send them to you, I would! Since my husband and I moved from DC, it’s definitely a bit more expensive to purchase lump crabmeat – hence traditional fillers. But I’ve been spoiled growing up so close to the Eastern Shore that sometimes I have to splurge a little and go full-on crab!
I do hope you make it back over this way and get a chance to indulge in some Maryland crab cakes 🙂