Best Ever Easy Crab Cakes

4.65 from 28 votes

Crab Cakes are a restaurant favorite, but with this easy recipe, making them at home couldn't be simpler. Just prepare and pan fry!

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword canned crab meat recipe, crab cake recipe, crab cakes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 8

Chill to set 30

Total Time 48

Servings Crab Cakes

Calories 439

In a large mixing bowl, combine the crabmeat, green onions, chives, parsley, lemon juice, and mayonnaise. Add panko breadcrumbs and fold into the crabmeat mixture.
Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form into thick round cakes (see photos and video in the post)
Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes. This sets and firms the cakes so are easy to handle for breading and won't flatten when fried.
In a shallow bowl, add the flour and season with salt & pepper.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the water.
In a third bowl, combine the bread crumbs with paprika, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Dredge the crab cakes first in seasoned flour, tapping off excess, then in egg wash, letting excess drip off. Dredge cakes into seasoned bread crumbs, coating cakes evenly. Place on a plate until needed.
In a large saute pan, heat oil and pan fry until lightly golden, about 4 minutes on each side. Place the cakes on paper towels to absorb the oil and season with salt to taste. Serve Hot.

You can use less oil if you choose, but it should be enough to crisp the sides of the crab cakes.
Mix the crab meat filling gently so not to break up the crab meat too much. There's nothing better than big lumps of crab meat in a crab cake.
Don't skip the 'chill to set' step as this will help the crab cakes keep their shape and stay together when breading and frying.
For an extra burst of freshness, add lemon zest to the mixture when you add the lemon juice.

Please note: The recipe says it serves six, but it only means that it makes six crab cakes.