Last Updated on October 10, 2023 by Melissa Reome
Crab cakes are expensive and it is hard to find quality ones when you don’t make them yourself. These crab cakes with lemon caper sauce have huge chunks of lump crab meat and minimal filler. The bright and creamy lemon caper sauce compliments the crab wonderfully. With this recipe, you can make dinner for multiple people for less than the price of one dining out and the quality will be so much better.
I want you to consider that you can make two generous crab cakes for 3 people with this recipe. If I were to order 2 crab cakes like this recipe will make at a restaurant, I guarantee I’d be spending at least $25 per meal. Alternatively, to keep cost down, you can certainly get lump as opposed to jumbo lump crab for the recipe. I will even make these into much smaller crab cakes to serve as an appetizer.
Instead of a classic remoulade to eat with the crab cakes, I wanted something a little brighter with some citrus. This lemon caper sauce is the perfect complement to a perfect crab cake. It would be a great complement to a number of seafood dishes.
Before we get to the recipe, I would like to note that I am a huge advocate of cooking seafood or fish outside when the weather permits. I don’t mind the aroma when it is cooking but waking up the next morning to have my house smelling of seafood is certainly not ideal. The grill is perfect for cooking crab cakes. I cooked the crab cakes in a Hestan Sauteuse which I put right on the grate of my Aspire by Hestan grill.
Though there are thousands of crab cake recipes on the internet, I always come back to this recipe. Crab cakes shouldn’t be overly complicated. The best crab cake recipes let the crab be the star of the show. If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d love to hear your comments.
As always, if you have any questions, please drop me a message. Looking for some more seafood inspiration? Check out my post on how to buy and cook scallops perfectly here.
Crab Cakes with Lemon Caper Sauce
Ingredients
Crab Cakes
- 1 lb fresh jumbo lump or lump crab meat
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 tsp hot sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot)
- 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
- 18-20 saltine crackers (unsalted tops), crushed into very small pieces
- 3 tbsp oil (canola, vegetable) or ghee
Lemon Caper Sauce
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp whole grain mustard
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce (Frank's Red Hot / Tabasco)
- 2 tsp small capers chopped
- 1 tbsp chives or green scallions finely chopped
- juice of 1 small lemon
- 1 tsp lemon zest finely chopped
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Lemon Caper Sauce
- Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 1 hour prior to serving. May make sauce a day ahead of time. Serve with crab cakes.
Crab Cakes
- Mix mayonnaise, egg, hot sauce, Old Bay, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and chives in a medium sized bowl until combined.
- Add cracker crumbs and crab and fold gently, using caution not to break up the crab. Cover and refrigerate mixture for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
- Divide mixture into 5 or 6 equal portions to and lightly press the mixture into the form of a crab cake.
- Place two burners of the grill on medium heat. Heat pan or skillet and add oil or ghee. I used the Hestan Nanobond 3.5 qt Sauteuse which is perfect for use on a grill and in this application.
- Once oil or ghee is hot, place crab cakes gently into the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and heated through. Close grill after initially adding crab cakes to the pan, and open the grill to flip them. The crab cakes are completely cooked at 155F
- Serve immediately with a side of lemon caper sauce and lemon wedges.
Five stars, for sure Melissa! Having not tried this recipe, yet, I’m certain this is going into the rotation.
Question though: living here In The Middle Of The Desert, I can only get canned Lump Crab Meat,
do you think that would work?
Although fresh lump is obviously best, I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to give it a try! You can also order jumbo lump and lump crab to be delivered online as well for a special treat. Enjoy!
The recipe worked very well for me! Thanks. I do wonder though if butter was not considered for a reason… Why no butter in the sauce?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The sauce is not a cooked nor hot sauce so butter wouldn’t be appropriate for my recipe.
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So amazing, however I adjusted the consistency and used the crab cake mixture to wrap around jumbo shrimp and deep fried til lightly golden then put in the oven for 20 minutes. Absolutely delicious.