Maryland Crab Cakes

I'm from Maryland also. The recipe sounds OK except PLEASE don't shred the crab meat. It should stay in lumps and be handled gently. It's traditional to use Maryland's own Old Bay seasoning, not hot sauce. Also, when formed the cakes should be refrigerated for about half an hour, to firm up a little and prevent their breaking up in the pan.

I am from Maryland and we DO love our crabcakes!! It is important to use fresh, not canned crabmeat, lump is the best. I know this makes it more expensive but it is the difference between great and boring Mrs. Paul's. Also, I like to add some Old Bay seasoning to spice it up. Be gentle when mixing together the ingredients so you don't break up the sweet lumps of crabmeat, you don't want it to be fine like catfood!! I also like to saute my crabcakes in butter in a skillet rather than broil them, but either way this is a delicious and authentic recipe. Yummy.

I found this recipe Not so great. First use only fresh lump blue crab, not canned. And do NOT shred it. Gently check for cartlidge. Add an egg to help bind the ingredients. And how can you post a recipe pretending to be a Maryland crab cake without Old Bay seasoning. (That is unforgivable.)add 1Tablespoon (give or take depending upon your tast). A dash of Worchestershire sauce is also an optional addition. Gently fold all ingredients to gether and then form them into 4 cakes and regdgerate for 30+ minutes before attemping to fry.

I am from Maryland, so we eat alot of crabcakes. I have tried many crabcake recipes, and this one is probably the best. I followed the recipe exactly, but I wanted to add Old Bay Seasoning, which I forgot *gasp*. Don't over mix the crab meat. It should stay lumpy!

I'm giving this 5 stars only because I heeded the advice of many other reviewers and made some changes. They came out so good and I will definitely make them again and again. I did not shred the crab meat; I left it well-lumped. I used 3 tablespoons of plain bread crumbs. I did not use salt, pepper, or hot sauce. Instead I used 1 teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning. I used two tablespoons of mayonnaise. I baked them on the center rack for 12 minutes. They didn't need to go to the top rack at the end for a few extra minutes. They came out perfectly browned and crispy on the outside and hot and full of flavor on the inside. I served them with a fresh-made remoulade sauce that I got at my local farmer's market.

These are great, with some adjustments as others have suggested; it is a must to add Old Bay, and I formed them and then chilled them so they didn't fall apart. My crab cake connisseur thought they were great. Served them with a Joe's Mustard Sauce (South Beach Diet) and they were a hit!

These are outstanding crabcakes! I added a bit of Dijon and minced green onions to them. Serves with Crab Cake sauce on the side.

I used 3 tablespoons bread crumbs and I used imitation crab meat. Yum! My family loved them.

I had a dinner party with a bunch of picky people, who all enjoyed this recipe (thankfully!) The only things I would do differently are to 1) use a cookie sheet, not a broiler pan 2) actually remember to lightly grease the cookie sheet and 3) make more. There were 8 people and I scaled the recipe for 10, but it still only came out to about 1.5 crabcakes per person.

First time I ever made crab cakes. That being said, I grew up in the DC, MD, VA area, and still live here. I tweaked the recipe a bit, and it turned out okay, however, I have a couple of more tweaks for it to make it even better. What I did today. No salt, added Cayenne pepper, just a couple of shakes, added Worchestershire Sauce, ignore the hot sauce, use Old Bay instead. Instead of dry mustard, I used prepared Dijon coarse mustard. To form the cakes, use a 1/4 cup measuring cup. It makes the perfect size crab cake...Next time, I will add some lemon zest and a little more cayenne pepper.

Here in the UK crab is expensive. So i added some white fish to bulk it out. It worked very well. The cakes were light and excellent.

We love crab cakes and these were delicious! I served them with the Black bean & Corn salad!

I know this might not be "Maryland like", but so far I've actually preferred this recipe without the Old Bay seasoning because most of the crab cakes I've tried have had too much Old Bay. I did leave out the salt, and added some onion and celery. Broiling (as opposed to frying) also helped keep the calorie count down, and I used olive oil cooking spray and egg substitute to bring it down even further. I also top each one with a sprinkling of panko breadcrumbs, which gives them a little crunch. I loved these, thanks for the great recipe! I'll definitely be making these again!

This crab cake was insanely delish!! The only differences I made were cooking them in a cast iron pan on the grill. I put a couple small pats of butter on the pan and a couple small pats on top of each cake. I also sprinkled Old Bay seasoning in the mixture as well as sprinkling it on top while it cooked (used this instead of hot sauce). This is the first time I made crab cakes too...I always thought it was too difficult. These are easy and good. This will be my "go to" crab cake recipe from now on. EDIT: I've made this many times now and followed someones tip to use a 1/3 measuring cup to mold the cakes and it is truly genius. They are the perfect size! Also, I get the 16 oz container of Phillips crab meat from Costco. It is the cheapest and best crab meat you can buy! Also, I mix all ingredients and gently fold the crab meat in last and I never shred it - I like big chunks of crab, not shredded crab.

I never made crab cakes before. This recipe is very easy and even my picky husband loved it! But I think next time I am going to fry them instead of broil them. They truned out just a little bit on a dry side by broiling them. I will deffinitely make them again for my family.

Vancouver island is also famous for crabs!! :) These turned out awesome, I didn't have bread crumbs, so I bashed up some crackers instead. I used cilantro and coriander seeds for a bit of flavour as I don't like mustard. The only thing that I would have changed, is greasing the pan a bit more, mine stuck. Great recipe, will make again.

I finally can make the type of crab cakes I love so much. Having been spoiled with Maryland style crab cakes when I lived in PA, I have ordered these several times in NY and NJ and rarely have crab cakes in this style. As from other reviewers, I made some changes. I used 1 lb of fresh crab meat which would result in about 5 dinner size cakes. I used Old Bay instead of Hot Sauce. I used cornflake crumbs instead of bread crumbs. I let sit in fridge for about 30-45 minutes to firm. I put it on rack 2nd from top in broiler. They came out fabulous. I believe I put 2 T of Mayo and at some point might try with homemade mayo as I have been told that it would make a great difference. I served with a Rémoulade sauce bought in seafood department.

My husband says this recipe is a keeper. I followed the recipe except added 1 T Old Bay seasoning and 1 t Worcestershire sauce. i used 1 lb can of crabmeat by Sigma Supreme and it was good consistency for making patties.

Being from Baltimore, I don't know how anyone can call these Maryland crab cakes without adding Old Bay seafood seasoning. The recipe is actually very good, but not by Maryland's standards.

These were delicious I followed the recipe but refrigerated the cakes before cooking them and didn't shred the crab. I used canned crab because we didn't have any fresh crab at the store. Still was amazing!

These were delicious and really easy! I added 1 Tbsp of Old Bay and left out the salt and pepper like others suggested. Better than what I've had in restaurants!

These were just wonderful. I had extra large eggs so I added a little bit more bread crumbs to offset the added moisture from the bigger egg, also dredged the patties in bread crumbs and sprayed with PAM before broiling about 5 minutes on each side with the rack in the middle of the oven. I'll add that fresh chopped parsley really makes this a wonderful crab cake. We very much liked these, especially Hubs who can be picky.

Just got done making these, AWESOME!! Thanks, the is def. a keeper!!

I made these with fresh crab meat and they were delicious. The crabs I got were so nice and the meat was all in big chunks which is the best. I'm not a big fan of mustard so I left it out and they still turned out really good and very flavorful. It's best to mix everything together with your hands, it's kind of gross but that way you don't break the meat all apart.

Great crab cakes. I (like others) replaced the hot sauce w/Old Bay cause I can't imagine any type of seafood w/o at least a little Old Bay on it ;). I also cut the calories by cutting out the egg yolk and using lo-cal mayo. Broiling with a little shot of Pam was a super idea. They had a nice crunchy outer crust and were cooked perfectly on the inside. Thanks for the post!

I have never made crab cakes befor... the recipe was simple and they taste WONDERFUL... Try it... you WON'T be disappointed!

This was great! Because we wanted to grill them, I almost doubled the egg & mayo so they wouldn't be dry. Other than that, the only change I made was to add a little diced red pepper for color.

Very good recipe! So easy to make

This was a very good crab cake...not much filler and mostly crab...just how we like it!! I followed the tips of others and used old bay and omitted the hot sauce. My husband who is from Maryland kept saying, "MMMM....no more Red Lobster"!!! Delicious! Thanks!

This is a good recipe, but a Maryland Crab Cake must have "Old Bay Seasoning".

I LOVE this recipe. I am originally from MD, but I'm also military so I have to take the MD with me :) I take this to pot lucks and the such ALL the time and they are ALWAYS gone. The only reason I'm giving this 4 stars instead of 5 is because the recipe calls for "hot pepper sauce" and every native Maryland knows that it SHOULD say Old Bay Seasoning. The crab cakes should be large and fluffy, not smashed cakes, and they should be broiled. Anyhow, with those changes, the taste is authentic and delicious and I use this recipe EVERY time.

Great use of fresh Dungeness crab from Puget Sound! Followed the recipe fairly close, but did not bother with measurements - everything by eye. I did thrown in some Panko crumbs with the bread crumbs and added the requisite Old Bay. Sprinkled the tops with extra Panko and sprayed with Pam. DON'T broil for 10-15 minutes as recipe calls for, or at least not on the top rack. Mine was starting to over brown on top in 3 minutes. Followed another reviewer's suggestion and set the oven to broil, but used the middle-low rack for all but the last 2-3 minutes. Served with a variation of a Remoulade sauce from this site.

Had these crab cakes at a party and couldn't stop raving about them (or eating them!)...the host shared the recipe with me and I made them for Christmas Eve. Everyone loved them! They are very easy to make. I also added chopped celery & onions - Yumm!

First time I made crab cakes. I made them with crab immitation (all I had) and they still turn out yummy. I will try with real crab next time. Great, thanks.

A little bland for us as written. I prefer a little more spice.

Maryland crab cakes are made with lump or jumbo lump crabmeat. You should never ever shred it! You mix it very gently with your hands so you don't break up the lumps. Also, most Maryland crab cake recipes use Old Bay Seasoning.

These were great, but I modified them a bit. I added chives, Old Bay seasoning, twice the bread crumbs, and sauteed them in butter which made them a nice golden brown. Served with a tangy horseradish sauce for dipping. Definitely will make this again!

This is very good recipe. I loved broiling over pan frying and the fact that it does not have Old Bay. My favorite crab cakes include scallions and lemon but these were great.

Perfection! Whole family loves these.

I thought these were a bit bland, but I also used canned crabmeat. I might try again with fresh crab.

Made this gluten-free (Udi's toasted bread) and it came out great!

This recipe was simple to follow and the results were fantastic. I made six servings using 2 lbs of lump crabmeat. The key is to broil it just long enough to crisp it, but not to burn. Great recipe. Thanks for sharing.

My family loved this recipe. A lot less filling and a lot more crab meat.

These crab cakes are as good as the ones I paid $30 per entree for in Atlanta. Super easy to make and low calorie, low fat to boot. It's our special meal.

Very nice recipe. My husband prepared it for me this weekend. Only problem was, sometimes I would find a shell piece in my cake! He will get better at it, I'm sure.

Not restaurant-quality, but a nice alternative.

14 blue crabs and 3.5 hours of picking, resulted in some awesome crab for these very tasty crab cakes!! (gotta use Old bay) Thanks for sharing.

I have lived in Maryland all my life, and these, I'm sorry to say, were not good crab cakes. They were dry and had a poor taste besides. We will not be having these again. What a terrible waste of a pound of backfin crab meat!

This recipe did not work AT ALL with imitation crab meat! I ended up throwing the entire mixture in the trash. Hope to help someone else avoid the same mistake as a few reviewers said imitation was OK. Wrong. Don't even try it without fresh (or canned).

I am a Marylander, too. This is a good recipe, but a tad bland. I believe that it might be a 5-star if if were to include OLD BAY seasoning, which is absolutely essential for a delicious crabcake.

Simply the best. I am from NorCal where we have lots of local crab, but like the folks in Maryland, I too add Old Bay Sesoning. I serve with a local sweet-mustard sauce and roasted green beans on the side.

I personally did not like these, and neither did the person I served them to...I've had a number of crab cakes, but these were not among the more memorable.

I made this tonight and they turned out GREAT!!! They tasted like they came straight from the restaurant. I took the advice of others and add Old Bay but no salt or pepper. I used dried parsley since I didn't have any fresh parsley. I'm sure the fresh parsley would have made them even better. I love the fact that they are baked instead of fried, so much healthier. We made sandwiches out of them, like we have eaten them at some restaurants. I can't say enough, these were GREAT (again)!!!

Good.

I had never made crab cakes before, so I was looking for something simple. This is it! Baked on parchment paper. Crispy on the outside, stayed together well, and moist and lumpy on inside...YUM! I served mine with homemade Remoulade sauce.

Excellent and easy to prepare. I agree with reviewer who recommends Old Bay. I used canned 'real' crab meat and it was great.

My husband and I really enjoyed these!

Great recipe! I just subbed out the hot sauce for a nice dash of Old Bay and the family loved them! :)

These are not Maryland crabcakes without Old Bay (or a similar seasoning mix), so please don't call them "Maryland Crabcakes".

My family love love love this. Quick and easy for a working woman..

Wonderful...even without Old Bay!

i rated these 4 stars because i know i made the mistakes in this one. and i know you guys are going to call me a stupid head. i did not have fresh crab meat. i used canned(because it's what i had). i added old bay seasonings along with the salt and it was way to salty. so omit the salt if using old bay seasonings. other than that, i know if i would have used fresh lump crab meat it would have been great. but it tasted like a salty old salmon patty. had to make a cucumber raita sauce to cool down the salt.

Awesome recipe, my boyfriend asks me to make these all the time, but I agree with some other reviewers when they say leave the crab meat in lumps, it is much better. Also had to leave them in the fridge to firm...they looked like they would have fallen apart otherwise. I also added some lemon juice. Good recipe overall!

These were very bland and I was very glad that I fried a little 'taster patty’ before I formed them all and broiled them. My additions, such as green onion, minced garlic, Blackening seasoning, etc., probably kept this from being a true Maryland crab cake but if so, I am not so keen on authentic Maryland crab cakes.

I never made Crab Cakes before & was very pleased with the outcome ! Used Spicy Ranch dressing as the dipping sauce. Definately a winner !

Maryland crab cakes are made with McCormick's Old Bay Seafood Seasoning. These do not come close to the way we fix crab cakes. However, that said, they are not the worst my family has eaten with the claim of "Maryland Crab Cakes" but far from the best.

These were wonderful! I almost always make my own adjustments to all recipes, but I didn't change a thing with these (except I left out the hot sauce - I hate hot stuff.) THANK YOU for this recipe!!!!!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! THESE ARE THE BESTTTTTT EVER. OK, MY HUSBAND IS FROM DC AND HE WILL ONLY EAT MARYLAND CRAB CAKES. I BEGGED HIM TO TRY THESE AND HE SWORE THEY WERE THE BEST COMPARISON. HE WOULD SELL THEM AS MARYLAND CRAB CAKES ANYWHERE. LOVEM LOVEM LOVEM. THE BEST... LOVE THE OLD BAY AND IT IS SOO NECESSARRY.. OLD BAY.. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

This recipe was fast and simple and also very delicious. I might have used too much mayonaise, but I will try again.

Not a very good Maryland Crab Cake recipe. There is no Old Bay seasoning, which is a must, and who in Maryland shreds crabmeat for crab cakes? Nobody! Always try to have as many lumps as possible in the cake.

I've eaten a lot of different crab cake recipes and they were all missing in something. Even the ones on QVC just didn't cut it for me. THIS recipe, however is the berries (with the Old Bay added). Without the Old Bay, I really don't think this recipe would cut it either, but many reviews insist on the Old Bay and I agree. Will definitely make this one again. I did add the splash of hot sauce and think this may be what put it over the top.

This recipe created delicious crab cakes! The end product was juicy, flavorful, and not overpowering nor too mild. Texture was great. I had made two minor substitutions and the result was uncompromised. I had used prepared yellow mustard in place of dry (just use 3X the amt) and dried parsley as opposed to fresh (use 1/3 the amt). Although the original ingredients will probably yield the best crab cakes I was very pleased with the alterations. Two mistakes that I would look out for in the future is to make sure not to use a dark baking sheet (makes the bottoms of cakes brown too quickly) and rotate the pan 180 degrees so the cakes will cook more evenly. Lastly I took other reviewers' suggestion of using 1/4 tsp old bay seasoning in place of the hot sauce. This one's a keeper.

Substituted hot sauce with old bay seasoning and sprinkled a little more old bay on the top of each one before baking. Excellent recipe! I will be sure to use this one on a regular basis!

This recipe didn't do it for me. The flavor was fine, and I left it lumpy as was recommended, but the cakes (patties) did not hold together and was like plopping chunky cooky dough onto the baking sheet, then working to make each plop hold together to resemble a crab cake. I think it was too lumpy, but even mixing it better did not deliver better results. A lot of work and costly for it not to turn out appealing.

I used this recipe to make crab cakes for the first time ever and they got rave reviews! This had the least amount of bread crumbs and other fillers, and I loved the fact they were broiled and not fried. Thank you for something so simple, yet so very good!

Just moved to Maryland and I can't eat the crab cakes anywhere because no one makes them gluten free. I modified this recipe by smashing up Van's Natural Foods crispy whole grain baked crackers and using the crumbs rather than regular bread crumbs. Also added a little bit of Old Bay seasoning to the mix. The crab cakes were delicious and I served them with a simple sauce of light sour cream, lime juice, dill and salt. My boyfriend, who has been sampling plenty of Maryland crab cakes, said they were better than any he's had yet.

These are very good and very easy to make. Like others I used Old Bay instead of hot sauce. Just enough wet ingredients to hold together but not too much to overpower the taste of the crab. Will definitely be making again.

I, too, am a Marylander, and am happy to report I have no complaints about this recipe...like most of the other reviewers, though, a few dashes of Old Bay really will bring the ingredients together, and yes it is a felony in Maryland to shred crab meat! Traditional crab cakes call for mustard powder, which gives a nice zing without being overpowering, but if you have to use wet mustard, use just a bit...crab meat is so delicate you don't want to mask the sweetness of the meat...happy eating all...great job, Mrs. Bea!!

Very average recipe....sorry.

Oh my are these delightful! It's my first time making crab cakes and they were easier than I thought they would be. I also liked that I can cook it in my oven instead of a skillet. I followed the recipe as it was except for the ground mustard, didn't have any so I used regular yellow mustard, still good though. Also, my patties didn't turn out as nice as the pictures on here, but they still stuck together and tasted delicious. I made the Cilantro-Lime Mayonnaise sauce also from this site to go along with it.

As suggested by others, I added Old Bay instead of hot sauce. I also allowed them to chill in the refrigerator for several hours before broiling them. They were absolutely delicious. We devoured them

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I made these last night - but I didnt have real lump crab. I had to use the imitation crab, because I just couldnt wait to try this. I know that for purists that might be a mortal sin, but it turned out FANTASTIC. My guy said "it's the best thing I have ever eaten in my life" Now I have to go out and get the real lump crab - which will probably curl his hair :) and get me flowers :) Thanks!

Grew up on the Chesapeake and lived in Maryland for 38 yrs. This is a very tasty recipe. I only changed two things because of a lack of ingredients when I made them and they came out wonderfully. I substituted basil for the parsley and used a bit of Old Bay instead of hot pepper sauce.

These were super easy to make, but they really need (all together now!) Old Bay Seasoning. They also need finely chopped onions and celery. And please don't shred the crabmeat! Also, I don't think I would use canned crab, and I know that I wouldn't use fake crab. We used Dungeoness from the Puget Sound... fresh caught today!

Absolutely the best crab cake recipe. I substituted Old Bay seasoning for the hot sauce. This recipe really let the crab flavor come through.

These were wonderful. I substituted the hot pepper sauce for Old Bay, as others recommended. I also did not shred the crab meat and was careful not to overmix the mixture, as others warned against. They were delicious...thank you Bea!!!!!

This recipe is easy and delicious!!! Before broiling I top with some Old Bay and refrigerate the cakes for about 30 minutes so they keep their shape. As others have already stated, don't shred the crab!!! Keep it lumpy.

i thought this recipe was great. like most recipes, i modified it. i used 1 can of crab meat 4oz, and 12 oz of imitation crab. i also took the suggestions of others and added a tsp of old bay seasoning. finely chopped green onions are a great addition. i've already made them times in the past wk. rave reviews! ***i've found that non-stick aluminum foil works great on the bottom of the broiler pan***

Very good and easy. Will definitly make again.

This was really good, but make sure to turn them over half-way through broiling. I didn't the first time and they didn't quite seem fully cooked.

Made the crabcakes with two changes; used Old Bay seasoning and canned lump crabmeat. They were incredible!

This is definitely a keeper. Love the amount of crab and minimal filler. Have made this twice so far.

Outstanding, simple recipe for crabcakes. I love the taste of crabmeat and I don't like to adulterate it too much. This is the perfect recipe if you feel the same way. I used regular mustard and Italian breadcrumbs since it's all I had and it turned out terrific. My husband asked me to save the recipe.

I thought this was pretty bland. I made it exactly how the recipe states, but I would prefer more pepper, spice or something. I paired it with a homemade hollandaise sauce and that helped!

i added green onion and red pepper for some more taste and i loaded it into portabella caps and baked in the oven....yummy...

This is not a Maryland crab cake. You must add Old Bay Seasoning to get a Maryland Style. If you are from Baltimore you know what I am saying. Also you only use LUMP crab meat, you do not shred. Your crab cake must be full of the LUMP. You have not lived till you have some.

This recipe made the first crab cake I have ever had, and it was delicous! I used fresh crab meat and mixed it into the other ingredients GENTLY to keep the cakes lumpy. I panfried them in butter and served them on split warm rolls for sandwiches. Wonderful!

Easy because you BROIL and don't fry - much healthier too :D. Be sure to use the very best crab money can buy (not the cheap stuff next to the cans of tuna). And I like that there's not a lot of filler (breadcrumbs/crackers). I doubled this recipe, made mini ones for appetizers and they were eaten up immediately! Oh, and I had broiler at 450, middle rack and they took about 10 minutes.

bland and wet