The BEST Crab Cake Recipe

One of the best things about staying in Pensacola is being so close to a fresh seafood market. We rarely dine out because we enjoy picking up fresh seafood and whipping up our own meals. A Rainwater family staple for us is crab cakes. My mom has been making these for years and she’s definitely got them mastered. If you’re craving some seafood mix up your dinner rotation and fix these tonight, you’ll be in crab cake heaven!

Crab Cake Recipe | serves 4

:: 1/2 cup mayonnaise
:: 1 large egg, beaten
:: 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
:: 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
:: 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
:: 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
:: 20 saltine crackers, crushed
:: 1/4 cup canola oil
:: lemon wedges

Step 1 | In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce until smooth.

Step 2 | In a bowl, lightly toss the crabmeat with cracker crumbs. Gently fold in the mayonnaise mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. *It’s important not to overmix!

Step 3 | Scoop the crab mixture into eight mounds and lightly pack into 8 patties. In a large skillet, heat the oil until it’s hot. Add the crab cakes and cook over moderately high heat until deeply golden and heated through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the crab cakes to plates and serve with lemon wedges.

Tip: We typically complete steps 1- 2, then go ahead and prepare the crab cake patties the night before so they can refrigerate overnight.

Serve with a side salad or homemade slaw and you’ve got yourself a dinner worth bragging about. (Aka: Instagram worthy.) Until next time…