Crab cakes are one of my all-time favorite dishes to order at restaurants! They are insanely easy to make and just require a few high quality ingredients. We’re turning classic Baltimore-style crab cakes into the best ever Crab Cake Sandwich!
Flavor the crab meat with Old Bay seasoning, Dijon, Worcestershire, lemon, and a few fresh herbs, then bind with Ritz cracker crumbs.
These crab cakes are light on filler (just enough to bind!), naturally sweet from the crab meat, and full of flavor from a hefty amount of Old Bay. Honestly, they are the best ever! Serve on brioche buns with lots of homemade tartar sauce for a delicious, restaurant-worthy dinner at home!
Love crab as much as we do? Be sure to try one of these great recipes next! Hot Crab Dip, Crab Stuffed Salmon, or our silky smooth Crab Bisque.
Ingredient Notes
For the crab cakes
- Jumbo lump crab meat (not claw meat!) — drain and pick over for any small bits of shell!
- Wet ingredients: mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, egg, Worcestershire sauce
- Flavor: Old Bay seasoning, lemon zest, parsley, dill, or tarragon, Kosher salt, black pepper
- Binding ingredients: good ol’ Ritz crackers, ground finely into crumbs!
Yes, you can substitute the Ritz crackers with bread crumbs or saltine crackers, but it won’t be quite as buttery.
For the tartar sauce
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp sweet pickle relish
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 small shallots, diced (can substitute with grated onions)
- Juice from 1 lemon (about 2-3 Tbsp)
- ¾ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
To assemble crab cake sandwiches, make sure you’ve got brioche buns, sliced tomatoes, avocado, and crisp lettuce!
How To Make Baltimore Crab Cakes
- Mix wet ingredients and spices. Combine egg, mayonnaise, Old Bay, Dijon, Worcestershire, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl, then whisk well.
- Form the crab cake mixture. Add crabmeat and crushed crackers, then mix gently until just combined.
- Portion the crab cakes. Use a large cookie scoop to portion mixture into equal size crab cakes. 1 lb of crab meat will yield 7 crab cakes. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, then refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to 1 day).
- Cook the crab cakes. When ready, gently form the crab cakes into uniform size and shape, pressing down slightly and smoothing the edges to form a flat, round circle. Heat 2 Tbsp unsalted butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Cook crab cakes for 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown and crispy. Drain for just a minute on a paper towel before serving.
- Serve immediately. Crab cakes are best served hot from the skillet. Enjoy over a salad or, as shown here, on brioche buns with tartar sauce, sliced tomatoes, and avocado. Don’t forget a pinch of flaky sea salt, always!
Make The Homemade Tartar Sauce
Combine 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons relish, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, minced shallots, fresh lemon juice, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a large bowl, then whisk to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Honestly, the best tartar sauce recipe! It goes well with everything from fish cakes, to fish and chips, to salmon burgers.
These crab cakes are also delicious with remoulade sauce or dill sauce, if that’s more your style! A remoulade sauce is similar to tartar sauce, but with additional flavors and usually spicier (sometimes Creole seasoning). It always has something that turns it pink in color — either ketchup or paprika. You can’t go wrong with either sauce, it really just comes down to personal preference.
Assemble The Crab Cake Sandwiches
You can of course use any bun or bread you like to make your crab cake sandwich — our recommendation is brioche! Brioche buns are soft and squishy, lightly sweet, and have a buttery taste that perfectly compliments these Baltimore-style crab cakes!
To your crab cake sandwich, add a generous spoonful of tartar sauce, your favorite crisp lettuce (gotta have that crunch!), sliced avocado, and fresh tomato. Finish with a touch of flaky sea salt just before placing the bun on top. It helps to season both the crab cakes, as well as the raw veggies.
That’s it! Time to dig in!
How To Serve
If you’re serving this as a crab cake sandwich, fries or homemade chips get our vote!
In the summer, we would totally serve this with a simple, light avocado tomato salad, while in the cooler months these crab cake sandwiches would be great with roasted vegetables. You really can’t go wrong!
Have leftover crab cakes? Turn them into our best ever crab cake benedict!!
Expert Tips
- Make sure to pick through the crab meat for cartilage and shells before using! Nothing worse than biting into a shell in your crab cake sandwich!
- Buy jumbo lump crab meat, not claw meat. It is larger, sweeter, and has a better texture and deeper flavor! Yes, it is more expensive, but it makes a huge difference.
- Want to serve these as an appetizer at a holiday or cocktail party? Follow the instructions, but portion the mixture into 1-2 Tbsp patties. Pan fry for 1-2 minutes over medium heat, then serve on a tray with tartar sauce, aioli, or remoulade!
To freeze crab cakes: Allow crab cakes to cool to room temperature completely. Place in an airtight, sealed container, then transfer to a freezer. They will keep for up to 3 months. Do not freeze assembled sandwiches, only freeze the crab cakes!
To reheat crab cakes: Thaw overnight, then reheat in an oven until crispy (about ~7 minutes at 350 F) or pop thawed crab cakes into a microwave and heat on high for 1-2 minutes.
For our gluten-free friends, you can substitute Ritz crackers with gluten-free breadcrumbs, then serve the crab cakes on your favorite gluten-free roll, bread, or on top of a salad. You’re going to love these!
Looking for more crab recipes? Check out our spicy crab pasta, crab bisque, or the ultimate luxury: Baked Crab Legs!
If you make these Baltimore-Style Crab Cake Sandwiches, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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For more sandwiches, check out the following:
Crab Cake Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
For the tartar sauce
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp sweet pickle relish
- 2 Tbsp shallots finely chopped
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- juice from 1 lemon about 2-3 Tbsp
- ¾ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the crab cakes
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 Tbsp chopped dill or tarragon
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tsp Worcestershire
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb jumbo lump crab meat picked through for cartilage and shells
- 20 Ritz crackers ground into fine crumbs, or ⅔ cup breadcrumbs
For serving
- Tomatoes thinly sliced
- Lettuce
- 7 Brioche buns
- Homemade tartar sauce
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Make the tartar sauce. Combine 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp sweet pickle relish, 2 Tbsp shallots, 1 tsp Dijon, 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice, ¾ tsp Kosher salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper in a large bowl, then whisk to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Mix wet ingredients and spices. Combine 1 egg, 3 Tbsp mayonnaise, 2 tsp Old Bay, 2 tsp Dijon, 1 tsp Worcestershire, 2 Tbsp parsley, 2 Tbsp dill, 1 ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper in a large mixing bowl, then whisk well.
- Form the crab cake mixture. Add 1 lb crab meat and ⅔ cup Ritz cracker crumbs, then mix gently until just combined.
- Portion the crab cakes. Use a large cookie scoop to portion mixture into equal size crab cakes. 1 lb of crab meat will yield 7 crab cakes. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, then refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to 1 day).
- Cook the crab cakes. When ready, gently form the crab cakes into uniform size and shape, pressing down slightly and smoothing the edges to form a flat, round circle. Heat 2 Tbsp unsalted butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Cook crab cakes for 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown and crispy.
- Serve immediately. Crab cakes are best served hot from the skillet. Enjoy over a salad or, as shown here, on brioche buns with tartar sauce, sliced tomatoes, and avocado. Don't forget a pinch of flaky sea salt, always!
Notes
- You want to purchase jumbo lump crab meat, not the claw meat. Jumbo lump is larger, sweeter, and will create a lighter, more delicate overall crab cake.
- Make sure to pick through the crab meat for cartilage and shells before using!
- Nutrition facts include crab cake, brioche bun, and tartar sauce — they do not include additional toppings, such as avocado, tomatoes, and lettuce.
- Want to serve these as an appetizer at a holiday or cocktail party? Follow the instructions, but portion the mixture into 1-2 Tbsp patties. Pan fry for 1-2 minutes over medium heat, then serve on a tray with tartar sauce, aioli, or remoulade.
Made the crab cakes this week for lunch and they were so tasty! Agree that the jumbo lump crab is totally worth the extra price. As with your other recipes, so easy to make and so many ingredients I already have on hand! This will definitely be a staple of ours for the summer!
LOVE this! We made them again recently (turned them into crab cake benedicts, be on the lookout for that recipe soon!!) and they are just the best. So glad you’re enjoying the recipe as well! xo, Ari