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Made with fresh lump crab meat, Old Bay seasoning and an array of other fresh ingredients, these crab cake sandwiches are a MUST make this summer. If you’re a seafood lover, these crabby sandwiches are calling your name!
There is nothing more reminscent of summer to me than crab cakes. It reminds of me of going to the beach and/or a restaurant by the water. We’re lucky that we live so close to Maryland and have the ability to have a lot of the Maryland crabs that they’re so famous for.
Honestly, I feel like even people who don’t like seafood love crab cakes! There’s something so decadent and satisfying about each bite of a perfectly baked, crispy, tender crab cake.
Next time you’re hosting a pool party, or any other fun summer celebration, make a big batch of these sandwiches. Every time I make them, they’re always a huge hit! They’re perfectly seasoned, not filled with filler, buttery, and fresh crab cakes with a crispy outside and incredible inside.
With these crab cakes are settled between two brioche buns, everyone at your party will be begging for the recipe!
Ingredients for Crab Cake Sandwiches
- Egg
- Mayonnaise – Make sure it’s just plain mayo. No need for any low fat or flavored options.
- Parsley – Use fresh, not dried!
- Dill – Again, for best results, use fresh dill.
- Dijon mustard – This can NOT be substituted for plain yellow mustard. It’s just not the same!
- Worcestershire sauce
- Garlic powder
- Old Bay seasoning – Really love this flavor? Toss an extra teaspoon in there – I won’t tell!
- Lemon zest and juice – You should only need one ripe lemon.
- Crab meat – Use fresh lump crab meat, not canned!
- Saltine crackers – You’ll need the crumbs of roughly 18 crackers.
- Butter – For these crab cakes, you’ll need salted butter.
- Brioche buns
What should I serve with crab cake sandwiches?
For me, nothing goes better with a crab cake sandwich than good ol’ fashioned fries and a big dollop of homemade tartar sauce. Traditionally, people love smothering remoulade sauce on top as well! I also love horseradish aioli for that pungent, satisfying tang. However, there are plenty of other fried foods that will accompany these sandwiches perfectly!
Here are just a few:
And of course, a nice cold beer always pairs well with a crab cake sandwich!
How long will the crab cakes stay fresh?
For best results, do NOT assemble the sandwiches until you’re actually ready to serve them. If you spread the tartar sauce on the crab cake too early, it will make the crab cake soggy.
Additionally, they are best eaten day of and baked immediately after you have them chilling in the fridge.
Here are some more seafood recipes to make this summer!
The Best Crab Cake Sandwiches
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup (56 g) mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more for serving
- 16 ounces (454 g) fresh lump crab meat*, see notes below
- ⅔ cup (40 g) Saltine cracker crumbs, about 18 crackers
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) melted salted butter, divided
- Brioche hamburger buns
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together egg, mayo, parsley, dill, Worcestershire sauce, dijon, garlic powder, old bay, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Dump out lump crab meat on top then the cracker crumbs on top of the crab meat. GENTLY fold together everything until the sauce just coats the entire mixture. you don’t want to stir or fold too much or you’ll break up the crab meat.
- Cover mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, preheat oven to 450 °F (232 °C) and prepare homemade tartar sauce. Brush the surface of a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tbsp of the melted butter.
- Once mixture has chilled for 30 minutes, using a 1/2 cup scoop, scoop mixture and put it onto the prepared baking sheet. DO NOT press flat. Literally just plop the mixture onto the baking sheet and use your hands to gently cup the cake into a mound to make sure no loose filling is on the side. Repeat until all mixture is used up. I usually can get 5-6 crab cakes.
- Brush the tops of the crab cakes with the remaining melted butter. I don’t actually forcefully brush but more like dab lol
- Bake for 14 minutes or until the crab cakes are nice and brown on top.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes then assemble sandwich.
- While crab cakes are cooling, toast brioche buns.
- To assemble sandwich: place crab cake onto bottom bun, spread a generous amount of tartar sauce on top bun then top onto the crab cake. I like smashing it down a bit to flatten the crab cake a little.
- Serve with a slice of lemon.
This isn’t a recipe for a crab cake sandwich. This is a recipe for a crab cake. Just because you added a bun does not make it a sandwich. Almost like saying a slice of pizza with a brioche bun make it a pizza sandwich.