Southern Crab Cakes

5.0 from 1 vote

You don’t have to book a trip to to New England to get your crab cake fix (although its a great excuse)! My husband and I are from South Louisiana so we grew up eating crab. The southern crab cakes from my childhood were usually whipped up the day after a crab boil with any leftover meat. The crab was fresh and already well seasoned with cajun spices. This makes the flavor of a southern Louisiana crab cake unmatched! This is an easy and delicious family crab cake recipe that tastes like home.

The most difficult part of making crab cakes is also an optional step: boiling and peeling your own crabs. Peeling crab is notoriously laborious, but (in my opinion) it is the difference between average and stellar crab cakes. Pre-peeled crab meat is so convenient, but nothing compares to freshly peeled crab meat. The key to amazing crab cakes is amazing crab; so make sure you are choosing high-quality crabmeat, whether you’re opting for fresh or pre-peeled meat.

Ingredients

• 2 cups crab meat – I recommend fresh crab for this recipe! I often purchase boiled Dungeness crabs from my local grocery store and peel them. One large Dungeness crab (body, claws, legs) should provide enough meat for this recipe.
• 1 tsp Cajun Seasoning (or substitute for Old Bay), divided
• 2 small shallots, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 egg, whisked
• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

How to Make Classic Crab Cakes

If using fresh crab meat, peel the legs, body and claws of the crab and collect the meat in a bowl. You can alternatively use pre-peeled meat.

Season the crab meat with 1/2 tsp of the Cajun seasoning mix. My husband is a Tony Chachere man; I prefer Slap Your Mama! Chef’s choice. Toss to combine.

Sauté the shallots and bell pepper in 1/2 tbsp olive oil until soft. Remove vegetables from the heat and set aside to cool.

Combine the crab meat, cooled shallots and bell pepper, mayonnaise, lemon juice, egg, bread crumbs, parmesan and the remaining seasoning in a mixing bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Divide the mixture evenly into 6 portions (I use a scale, but you can easily “eyeball” it!) and shape into cakes.

Heat the remaining olive oil in the pan and sear the cakes. It only takes 2-3 minutes per side.

Serve with a remoulade or tartar sauce.

5.0 from 1 vote