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Simple ingredients elevate a boring crab cake into these panko crab cakes, and they have less fat and more crunch than most of the recipes out there. They are perfect by themselves, as a crab cake sandwich, stuffed inside a portobello mushroom cap or on a bed of salad greens with a light vinaigrette.
The preparation for this crab cake recipe is easy and the total time from start to finish is around 25 minutes. That means that these are great as a weeknight dinner option, and they also make for a lovely lunch the next day.
These perfect little crab cakes with panko breadcrumbs are very easy to make gluten free. Click HERE for GF panko and HERE for GF Italian breadcrumbs.
Make sure to purchase a good quality refrigerated jumbo lump crab meat from the seafood section of your grocery store. I do not recommend canned crabmeat in this recipe.
In all honesty, I take no credit for this panko crab cake recipe as it is my mother’s, and they are quite perfect in my opinion. However, she does cook her crab cakes in copious amount of butter (pictured below) so if you want to save your arteries then just use a bit less or opt for extra virgin olive oil instead.
Alternately, you can try baking them, but I don’t think you will get that delicious crunch. And believe me, you want that crunch! I would suggest spraying them with cooking spray and then baking them at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. Then turn on the broiler and brown the panko keeping a close eye on them so as not to burn.
Ingredients
- Jumbo lump crab
- Egg
- Scallions
- Bell pepper
- Italian bread crumbs
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Mayonnaise
- Spices
- Lime/lemon
- Parsley
While adding a REMOULADE SAUCE to these crab cakes will take it to the next level. You could also just whip up a quick sauce by combining stone ground mustard, mayonnaise, lime juice and sour cream.
*Using a light mayonnaise will lower the fat content of these crab cakes with panko.
*We use Chef Prudhomme Seafood magic as our spices plus a little salt and pepper.
*Purchase gluten free breadcrumbs to make these gluten free crab cakes, see above for the link.
Instructions
- In a bowl combine the stone ground mustard, sour cream, mayonnaise and lime juice. Mix well and refrigerate.
- Combine the crab, egg, mayo, green onions, bell pepper, spiced, mustard, Italian breadcrumbs and lime into a medium sized bowl. Mix well and form into 4 large crab cakes. If they are too loose or falling apart, then add a little bit more mayonnaise into the mix.
- Carefully coat the outside of the crab cakes with the panko breadcrumbs.
- In a large skillet on medium low heat, melt the butter (if using) or heat the oil. When hot, add the garlic cloves and the crab cakes to the skillet and cook 4-5 minutes per side or until they are golden brown. Drain on paper towels when done.
TIP—Refrigerating the formed panko crab cakes for an hour prior to cooking will help them hold together better.
TIP—Make sure to break up the lump crabmeat with your hands because sometimes there will be small pieces of cartilage or shell that need to be removed.
TIP—The garlic is optional. We love the flavor of the garlic oil that the panko crab cakes cook in. I do not recommend adding garlic to the raw mix because it doesn’t have enough time to cook down its strong flavor.
Reheat/Store/Freeze info
Panko crab cakes reheat well in the oven and will retain their crunchiness, but you can also reheat them in the microwave as well. Don’t overheat them though, 30 seconds should be fine in the micro.
Store these crab cakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Panko crab cakes can be made ahead of time and freeze well. Just form the crab cakes and place in a single layer in a freezer bag. Let thaw fully before cooking in a skillet or oven.
OTHER SEAFOOD RECIPES:
- SPICY KANI (CRAB) SALAD
- CRAB RANGOON DIP
- SHRIMP AND LOBSTER FRA DIAVLO
- COCONUT SHRIMP SALAD
- MOROCCAN SALMON BOWL
- FISH COCONUT CURRY
Please let me know what you think of this recipe by leaving a comment below and also give it a star rating! I love to hear Your feedback!
PANKO ENCRUSTED CRAB CAKES
Ingredients
- 8 oz Jumbo lump crab picked through for shells and broken up slightly.
- 1 Egg whisked
- 3 tbsp Mayonnaise
- 3 Green onions finely diced
- 1/4 Bell pepper red or yellow, finely diced
- 3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp Chef Paul Prudhomme's seafood magic
- 1 tsp Stone ground mustard
- 1 tbsp Lime juice
- 2 tbsp Parsley fresh
- dash Salt/Pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs to coat
- 2-3 tbsp Cooking oil or butter
- 3 clove Garlic Whole or sliced
Creamy mustard sauce
- 2 tbsp Sour cream
- 1 tbsp Mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Stone ground mustard
- 1 tsp Lime juice
Instructions
Prepare creamy mustard sauce
- In a bowl combine the stone ground mustard, sour cream, mayonnaise and lime juice. Mix well and refrigerate.
Panko crab cakes
- Combine the first 11 ingredients into a medium sized bowl. Mix well and form into 4 crab cakes. If they are too loose or falling apart, then add a little bit more mayonnaise into the mix.
- Carefully coat the outside of the crab cakes with the panko breadcrumbs.
- In a large skillet on medium low heat, melt the butter (if using) or heat the oil. When hot, add the garlic cloves and the crab cakes to the skillet and cook 4-5 minutes per side or until they are golden brown. Drain on paper towels when done.
Notes
