Easy crab cakes that taste great, are quick and easy to make, and are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. These succulent pan-fried crab cakes are fast, easy, loaded with flavor and won’t crumble when you fry them.
Crab cakes are a delicious meal that can be enjoyed as an appetizer or main course They have a lovely sweet crab flavor with a crisp outer coating. While fresh crab meat makes the best tasting cakes, canned crab meat works extremely well and is easy to find In this article we will look at how to make great crab cakes using canned crab meat.
Why Make Crab Cakes With Canned Crab Meat?
There are several good reasons to use canned crab rather than fresh crab for crab cakes:
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Convenience – Canned crab is available year-round in any grocery store without needing to source fresh crab This makes crab cakes quick and easy to make anytime
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Cost – Fresh crab can be very expensive, especially varieties like lump crab or jumbo lump crab meat. Canned crab is much more budget friendly.
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Consistency – Canned crab is pre-cooked so the texture is reliably consistent from batch to batch. Fresh crab texture and moisture content can vary.
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Flavor – While fresh crab is superb, canned crab still has very good flavor when making crab cakes. With the right additional seasoning, canned cakes taste wonderful.
So for an easy and cost effective way to enjoy delicious crab cakes at home, using quality canned crab is an excellent choice. Let’s look at how to select the best canned crab and make great tasting cakes with it.
Selecting The Best Canned Crab Meat
When buying canned crab look for premium quality crab rather than the less expensive claw or imitation crab meat. Good options are:
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Lump crab meat – This comes from the large muscle clusters of the swimming legs. It has the lovely large pieces that look so nice in a crab cake.
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Special crab meat – A mix of smaller lump crab pieces and other body meat. Not as visually striking as lump but still has very good flavor.
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Jumbo lump crab – The prized choice crab meat with the most intact large pieces. More expensive but worth it for top quality cakes.
Be sure to check that the can contains only 100% real crab rather than containing additional fillers. For best flavor, canned crab packed in water rather than brine is preferred.
Pasturized crab in refrigerated tubs can also be used. This has more fresh flavor than canned.
How To Make Great Tasting Crab Cakes With Canned Crab
Making awesome crab cakes with canned crab meat just takes a few simple steps.
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Drain the crab meat thoroughly in a strainer to remove excess liquid. Pick through it to remove any stray shell or cartilage pieces.
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Gently mix the crab meat with some saltine cracker crumbs, egg, and mayonnaise being careful not to break up those lovely lump pieces.
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Season with Old Bay, dry mustard, Worcestershire and/or other spices for extra flavor. Go easy onOld Bay to let the crab flavor shine.
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Chill the mixture for at least 30 minutes to firm it up for shaping. Overnight chilling is even better.
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Form the cakes using a 1/3 cup measure or small scoop. Hand form cakes around the larger lumps of crab.
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Coat with panko or bread crumbs. Chilling again firms them up further.
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Sauté the cakes in olive oil or canola oil until golden brown on both sides. Pan frying gives the best texture.
Pro Tip: Use a cookie cutter when shaping cakes for uniform sizes. Press the mixture into the cutter.
Follow those tips and your canned crab cakes will taste just as amazing as ones made with fresh crab! Now let’s look at serving suggestions.
Tasty Ideas For Serving Your Crab Cakes
The delicious crab flavors deserve to be highlighted with complementary sides and sauces.
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Remoulade sauce – A piquant lemon flavored dip is a classic pairing with crab. Also called rémoulade in France or Sauce gribiche.
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Homemade tartar sauce – Quick to whip up and better tasting than store bought. Crab cakes love the tangy zip of tartar sauce.
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Cocktail sauce – Another traditional favorite with a tomato ketchup and horseradish base. Especially good with fried crab cakes.
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Coleslaw – A vinegary slaw alongside brings a bright contrast. Either green cabbage or red cabbage slaw.
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Lemon wedges – Don’t forget a wedge of lemon to spritz over the hot crab cakes when serving. Lovely fresh touch.
A chilled white wine makes a perfect beverage pairing too. A Sauvingon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or Chablis complements crab cakes beautifully.
Handy Tips For Making Crab Cakes Ahead
Want to get a jump start on cooking crab cakes for a party or dinner? Here are some useful tips:
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Crab cake mixture can be prepared 1-2 days in advance and kept chilled until ready to cook.
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Formed uncooked crab cakes can be frozen for 1-3 months. Thaw before frying.
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Fried crab cakes can be frozen up to 3 months. Reheat in oven at 375°F for 15-20 minutes.
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Fill your freezer with uncooked patties separated by parchment paper for quick meals anytime.
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Cooked crab cakes refrigerate well for leftovers too. They make great sandwiches the next day!
With those handy tricks you can take advantage of sales on canned crab and always have delicious crab cakes ready to enjoy with little effort.
Two Fabulous Crab Cake Recipes To Try
To get you started, here are a couple of my favorite canned crab cake recipes to attempt:
My Crab Cakes Recipe
This recipe available at AllRecipes produces lovely crab cakes with a nice kick from cayenne and Old Bay seasoning. Pan frying gives them a crisp golden exterior and moist interior. Tartar sauce served alongside is the perfect tangy dip. I like to squeeze lemon right onto the fried crab cakes for an extra pop of bright flavor.
Best Crab Cakes Using Canned Crab Meat Recipe
This recipe from JoesHealthyMeals has rave reviews for its simplicity and great flavor. It uses minimal filler to let the crab flavors shine. The cakes are fried in vegetable oil until beautifully browned. Serving them with Joe’s seafood comeback sauce adds a creamy, spicy dipping element. This is an awesome crab cake recipe to start with using canned crab meat!
As you can see, making fantastic crab cakes at home using canned crab meat is easy and foolproof. With the selection tips, seasoning ideas, serving suggestions, and storage tricks covered here you are fully prepared to start enjoying restaurant-quality crab cakes any night of the week. Canned crab lets anyone make these gourmet treats for a fraction of the cost of ordering them at a restaurant.
Canned crab meat lets you skip the hassles of finding fresh crab so you can skip straight to whipping up these sublime seafood delights. I hope my tips and recipe ideas here have inspired you to open up a can of crab and get cooking some sensational crab cakes tonight! Your family is going to love them.
How To Make Crab Cakes
- Combine ingredients. Put everything in a bowl (except the olive oil) and mix it all together slowly.
- Shape into patties. Make patties out of the crab mixture. The number of patties you get will depend on how big you want them.
- Fry the cakes. Put the olive oil in a pan and heat it over medium-high heat. A few patties at a time (I did six at a time) should be put in the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Turn them over carefully and cook for another 5 minutes, until they are golden brown. Repeat with remaining patties.
- Serve. Serve with wedges of lemon, your favorite dipping sauce (like tartar sauce or lemon garlic aioli), parsley on top, and a side dish.
What Are Crab Cakes?
Crab cakes are a variety of fishcakes popular in the United States. They are composed of crab meat and various other ingredients, such as breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, eggs, and seasonings. Crab cakes can be baked, grilled, deep fried, air fried or broiled.
Lots of green onions, an egg, breadcrumbs, and mayo to hold them together. I like to add a little hot sauce for spice. That’s pretty much it to the recipe. Not hard at all! Just be careful not to hurt the crab as you mix it all together and shape it into patties.
How to Make Crab Cakes with Canned Crab
FAQ
Can you substitute canned crab for fresh?
Should you rinse canned crab before using?
Is canned crab meat as good as fresh crab meat?
What kind of crab is used in crab cakes?
How do you make a crab cake with canned crabmeat?
Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties in hot oil until golden brown on each side. Drain briefly on a paper towel-lined plate and serve hot. This crab cake recipe features canned crabmeat with green onion, egg, mayo, Old Bay, and crackers coated in bread crumbs, then pan-fried until golden.
How do you cook crab cakes?
Shape into patties. Form the crab mixture into patties, depending on how big you want the patties, I got 12 patties out of my mixture. Fry the cakes. In a skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat heat. Place the patties in the skillet, a few at a time, I did 6 at a time, and cook until golden brown, about 5 min per side.
What can I use to make crab cakes?
You can use fresh crab meat (canned) or even imitation crab meat. egg – helps to hold the crab cakes together. panko bread crumbs – adds a bit of texture and ensures that the patties don’t fall apart. mayonnaise – for a touch of creaminess. Old Bay seasoning – a classic seasoning for any seafood dish.
Can you use canned crab meat for crab cakes?
The convenience of having canned crab meat available allows you to enjoy the flavors of crab cakes anytime without the need for preparing fresh or frozen whole crab. You might be tempted to use imitation crab, however, this is usually flavored and shaped fish and not actually crab.