Baked Crab Cakes with Remoulade

BY CASSANDRA HAMMERSTONE

May 2024

I've made this recipe countless times over the years. These crab cakes are my favorite for many reasons. They're baked, not fried, so no messy oil splatters, and the bake time is short because I use mayonnaise instead of egg as a binder. They can also be baked and frozen in batches. I always keep a batch in the freezer, ready for a light meal, crab cake benedict for brunch, or to accompany a steak for a surf-and-turf dinner.

What's the best crab to use for crab cakes? Choose whatever is on sale or fits your budget. Crab is a luxury ingredient, so it's wise to consider the expense. Lump or jumbo lump crab is best for Maryland-style crab cakes with minimal filler. However, this recipe uses good breadcrumbs and flavorful seasonings, so I prefer claw or backfin for their more pronounced flavor.

Fresh breadcrumbs are lucrative to this recipe. If you use the breadcrumbs in the can, it just won’t turn out the same. Any leftover bread will do – my favorites are sourdough or ciabatta. Process (fresh, not toasted) cubes in a food processor or high-powered blender until the crumbs are coarse, not sandy or powdery. You’ll only need a cup for this recipe. Use any additional breadcrumbs in a few days or freeze for later.

Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat and sweat the bell pepper and shallot until the pepper is soft and the shallot is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute or two, or until the garlic becomes fragrant.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, prepared horseradish, Old Bay seasoning and salt. Stir in the breadcrumbs then fold in the vegetable mixture. Let the mixture sit for at least five minutes. You’re making a panade, which is a mixture (define). You’re essentially making a meatball and you want to have a fully hydrated binder before you evenly distribute it through the crab meat.

Fold the crab meat in gently without overworking it. The crab will break apart easily, so as little stirring as possible is best.

What’s the best crab to use for crab cakes? Whichever is on sale or is the best you can afford for your budget... This recipe relies heavily on good breadcrumbs and flavorful aromatics and seasonings, which is why I prefer claw or backfin for their more pronounced flavor than lump or jumbo lump.

Scoop the crab mixture with a third-cup measure, then gently press the meat together with your hands into rounds. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes at 400°.

While the crab cakes bake, make the remoulade. Remoulade is a cold, mayonnaise-based sauce that's similar to tartar sauce, but more flavorful and often a little spicy. Whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon mustard, Old Bay seasoning, garlic powder and prepared horseradish. Stir in the chopped pickle. Salt to taste.

Each batch will yield eight to ten crab cakes. You can serve them right away with quartered lemon and the remoulade sauce. Or, once the crab cakes and the baking sheet are cool, cover and place the baking sheet in the freezer until the crab cakes are frozen. This ensures that the crab cakes will stay in an even layer and not fall apart in the transfer. Once they’re frozen, place them to a freezer bag and use them within six months.

To reheat, place the crab cakes on a baking sheet and warm in a 350° oven until they’re heated through and reach an internal temperature of 165°, about 15 to 20 minutes for a conventional oven or about 10 minutes in an air fryer.

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Baked Crab Cakes with REmoulade

Season: Any

Makes eight to ten crab cakes and one cup of remoulade sauce

ingredients for the CRAB CAKES

1 lb crab meat

2 tbsp butter

½ cup red bell pepper, small dice

¼ cup shallot, small dice

1 clove of garlic, grated

½ cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp prepared horseradish

1 ½ tsp Old Bay seasoning

1 tsp kosher salt

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

ingredients for the remoulade

½ cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp buttermilk

1½ tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp fresh dill

2/3 tsp Old Bay seasoning

½ tsp prepared horseradish

½ tsp garlic powder

1 dill pickle spear, chopped

¼ tsp kosher salt

PREPARATION

Heat the oven to 400°.

Prepare the homemade breadcrumbs. Ciabatta bread or Sourdough bread is recommended, or fresh bakery-style bread. Using a food processor or high-powered blender, pulse until you have coarse crumbs, not sandy or powdery. Measure one cup and use any leftover breadcrumbs in a few days, or freeze for a few weeks.

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and sweat the bell pepper, shallot and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, Old Bay seasoning and salt. Stir in the breadcrumbs and vegetable mixture and let the mixture sit for 3-5 minutes to allow the breadcrumbs to absorb the moisture in the mix.

Gently stir in the crab meat.

Form into small mounds using a large cookie dough scoop or 1/3 cup measure and place on a prepared baking sheet. Pat them gently to hold them together. Bake for 20 minutes or until the golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°.

While the crab cakes bake, make the remoulade sauce. Whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon, Old Bay, horseradish and garlic powder. Stir in the chopped pickle. Salt to taste.

Makes 8-10 crab cakes.

Recipe notes: Unless otherwise indicated, all recipes are developed with Kerrygold salted butter and Diamond Kosher salt. If you prefer to use unsalted butter, adjust the seasoning to your taste. If you use table salt, decrease recommended quantities of salt by around half.