Maryland Crab Cakes (No Egg, Mostly Crab)

My only goal for my week in Virginia Beach was to eat a good crabcake. Thanks to Dockside, I did. Broiled, lightly seasoned, meaty, the Dockside crabcake embodies everything I hope for in a crabcake.

Finding myself dreaming about this delicacy upon returning home, I called Dockside to find out the details, which they so graciously offered: crabmeat, mayonnaise, panko bread crumbs and Old Bay seasoning. They keep it pretty simple, which came as no surprise. Had they told me they used nothing but crabmeat, I wouldn’t have questioned them.

Recreating the Dockside crab cake was surprisingly easy. Because the cakes are broiled — as opposed to pan fried, which (and sorry for stating the obvious) involves flipping — the cakes can (and should) be delicately and loosely formed. In fact, if your cakes are almost falling apart as you’re placing them on your broiling pan, it’s probably a good sign. A nearly falling-apart crab cake will ensure that the mayonnaise and panko (or pulverized Saltines or bread crumbs or whatever you are using) are doing their job as binders but nothing more.

These cakes broiled for five minutes and disappeared in two. They were delicious.

Final note, crabmeat is expensive. Like, pit-in-your-stomach expensive. Like, oh-shit expensive. Like, how-can-I-rationalize-this-purchase expensive. But, it’s worth it. A good crab cake starts with good crab. The rest is simple.

Maryland Crab Cakes (No Egg, Mostly Crab)

---

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Alexandra
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 5 crab cakes 1x

Print Recipe

Save Recipe Recipe Saved

Description

This crab cake recipe is inspired by the crab cakes served at Dockside in Virginia Beach. 

---

Ingredients

• 1 lb. jumbo lump or backfin crabmeat
• Flaky sea salt or kosher salt to taste
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• squeeze of lemon, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• a couple of tablespoons of freshly chopped herbs: tarragon, parsley, or chives
• melted butter, for brushing
• lemon wedges, for serving
• tartar sauce (recipe below), for serving, optional

for the Tartar Sauce:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 8 cornichons, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
• 1 small shallot, minced
• pinch kosher salt

---

Instructions

1. Place the crabmeat in a large bowl. Being careful not to break up the lumps too much, spread out the crabmeat into a single layer in the bowl. Season lightly with salt. Add the mayonnaise, panko, lemon juice, Old Bay, and herbs. Gently fold all of the ingredients together using a large spoon or spatula. Taste. Adjust with more salt or lemon to taste. 
2. Preheat the broiler. (Rack should be about 4 inches from the heat source.) Lightly grease a sheet pan with butter or olive oil. 
3. Using a lightly greased half cup measure, portion your crab mixture into 5 cakes. The mixture should barely hold together when formed into a cake. Place the cakes on a sheet pan and chill in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
4. Make the tartar sauce: Place all ingredients in a bowl. Stir. Taste. Adjust accordingly.
5. Brush each crab cake with melted butter. Broil five minutes. Serve with lemon wedges and tartar sauce on the side if desired.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Broil
• Cuisine: American