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Chesapeake Baked Crab Cake
15 minute prep
Nothing captures the essence of coastal Maryland quite like a perfectly prepared Chesapeake crab cake. These iconic cakes are a tribute to the delicate, sweet flavor of fresh crab, enhanced with just enough seasoning and filler to hold them together without overshadowing the star ingredient. The secret to the perfect crab cake lies in simplicity: a light touch with the mixing and minimal ingredients allow the crab's natural flavors to shine.
In our family, we follow one golden rule when it comes to making crab cakes: “Don’t mess with it too much!” This means treating the crab meat gently, folding it in at the last moment to preserve its tender texture and sweet taste. Whether served as a main dish with tartar sauce or on a sandwich, these crab cakes are a true taste of Chesapeake tradition.
If you like your crab cake a bit crispy, consider crushing up some saltine crackers and sprinkling them on top before baking.
Believe it or not this recipe also works with Jonah crab meat too! This recipe takes 15 minutes of prep and 20 minutes of cooking.
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F with the rack in the middle.
- In a medium bowl, combine the egg, mayonnaise, half the crushed crackers, salt, seafood seasoning, and parsley. Mix well.
- Gently fold in the lump crabmeat, being careful not to break it up. Next, fold in the jumbo lump crabmeat, handling it lightly to preserve the larger pieces.
- Form the mixture into 4 patties. The mixture will be fairly wet. Coat each patty gently with the remaining crushed crackers.
- Place the patties on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
- Serve immediately with tartar sauce for dipping.
Ingredients
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped pimiento
- 8 no-salt saltine crackers, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage (or ½ pound lump and ½ pound jumbo lump)
- Tartar sauce, for serving
Optional: crushed oyster crackers to top on the crab cake just before baking
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