If you are looking for a REAL Maryland crab cake recipe, look no further! My husband is born and raised in Maryland. Almost his entire family still lives in Maryland and they are well versed in how to make the BEST Maryland crab cakes. We had a bushel of crabs the other day and with the left over crabs, made this Maryland crab cake recipe that you are sure to love!
If you have ever been to the Eastern shore, chances are you have had a Maryland crab cake. Crabs are very popular in Maryland and along the Atlantic coast. What makes Maryland crab cakes special is the Old Bay. Old Bay is a seasoning created in Baltimore, MD that is added to seafood to give it a zesty and unique flavor. Real Maryland crab cake recipes must include Old Bay! My husband puts Old Bay on everything from potato chips, to chicken, french fries and even popcorn.
In addition to the Old Bay, what makes a real Maryland crab cake is the filler (or lack there of). You might see a crab cake recipe with cornmeal or bread used as a filler, but true Maryland crab cakes use just a few saltine crackers to hold the jumbo lump crab meat together.
What you need
1 lb of jumbo lump crab
1 egg
2 ½ tablespoons of Mayonnaise
1 ½ tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning
Pinch of salt
5 crushed saltine crackers
Here are some of my absolute FAVORITE Maryland crab kitchen accessories! Click on the picture to take you directly to the item.
How to make Maryland Crab Cakes
Pick through the crab meat to make sure you have removed all of the shells. Even if you are not picking your own crabs (You can totally buy jumbo lump crab meat at your local grocery store and even Costco!) you need to go through the meat and pull out those little shards of crab shell.
Mix the egg, Mayonnaise, mustard and Worcestershire sauce together and pour over the crab meat. Gently combine the mixture with the crab meat with your hands or a rubber spatula, taking care not to break up the crab meat.
Add the salt, Old Bay and crushed saltine crackers to the crab meat and again gently mix together.
Next, use your hands or an ice cream scoop to gather a handful of the crab meat mixture. Gently shape into a ball and place it on a plate. Refrigerate the shaped crab cakes for one hour.
Broil crab cakes for about 10 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
You could also fry the crab cakes, but we have always preferred them broiled.
Serve with a lemon wedge and additional Old Bay.
If you have a chance to go to Maryland and pick crabs with the locals, on a deck with a cold beer, you should totally take advantage and go! The experience is as good as the crab meat. If you want to have that Maryland experience and eat delicious crab cakes, follow this Maryland crab cake recipe and enjoy!
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In case you missed it- we are currently building a house in Maryland! I have a great post on saving for a new home and one that dives into the cost of building a new home that you don’t want to miss.
