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–+ servings
A delicious crab cake on a plate with salad and aoli.

Crispy Crab Cakes with Piquillo Pepper Aioli

LindySez
This recipe is a simple, reliable way to get restaurant-quality crab cakes at home using fresh or canned lump meat crab. The Piquillo Pepper Aioli puts it over the top.
4 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Fish & Seafood
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 329 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound fresh or lump meat crab checked for shells
  • 3 roasted piquillo peppers finely diced (or you 1 roasted red pepper)
  • 3 green onions white and green part, fine dice
  • ½ jalapeno pepper seeded and finely diced
  • 1 tender stalk celery finely diced (include some leaves for extra flavor)
  • ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
  • ½ cup mayonnaise low-fat or regular
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay seafood seasoning
  • 1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs divided
  • Neutral oil for frying such as grapeseed oil
  • For the Aioli
  • ⅓ cup mayonnaise same as above
  • 3 piquillo peppers diced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Instructions
 

Check Crab for Shells

  • Place crab in a large bowl and gently toss, listening for any clicking sounds. Remove any shell pieces.

Make Crab Mixture

  • Add chopped vegetables to the crab and mix lightly. Add the mayonnaise Dijon, Worcestershire, and Old Bay. Gently combine, keeping the crab in large pieces.
    Add about ½ cup of the panko, just enough so the mixture holds together.

Form and Chill

  • Using a ⅓ cup measure, form the patties, pressing lightly. Coat with the remaining Panko.
    Place on a wire rack set over a sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up.
  • Heat neutral oil over medium heat in a frying pan to a depth of about ¼ inch. When hot, add the crab cakes and cook until browned on one side, turn carefully and cook the other side until browned, crisp, and hot throughout. Serve with aioli.

Make the Aioli

  • In a small blender, immersion blender, or food processor, combine all the aioli ingredients. Pulse until mostly smooth, leaving a little texture. ,

Cook the Crab Cakes

  • Heat about ¼ inch of neutral oil over medium heat.
    When hot, add the crab cakes and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on. one side. Carefully flip and cook the second side until browned, crisp, and heated through.

Serve

  • Serve warm with the piquello pepper aioli.

Notes

  • Use the least amount of binder possible
    The mixture should just hold together—this keeps the crab cakes light and crab-forward, not dense.
  • Chill before cooking
    Refrigerating the formed cakes for at least 1 hour helps them firm up and prevents them from falling apart in the pan.
  • Don’t overwork the mixture
    Mix gently to keep those nice lumps of crab intact.
  • Let them brown before flipping
    If they don’t release easily, give them another minute. They’ll let go when properly browned.
  • Use quality crab
    Lump crab meat (fresh or good-quality canned) gives the best texture. Avoid finely shredded crab.
  • Adjust heat to taste
    Jalapeños can vary—taste and adjust, or swap in serrano for more heat.

Nutrition

Serving: 2 crab cakesCalories: 329kcalCarbohydrates: 16gFat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 1258mgFiber: 1g
Keyword crab cakes, piquillo pepper, spicy crab cake
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