Perfect Crab Cakes {with creamy dijon sauce}

Impress your valentine with this restaurant classic! These crab cakes are made with no extra filler, broiled to perfection, and covered in a flavorful creamy dijon sauce.

Apparently it’s seafood week here at Fashionable Foods! First were the Clams Casino, and now I come to you with the perfect crab cake recipe. ???

Hopefully y’all like seafood. For some reason I always consider seafood to be the perfect choice for a romantic and fancy meal. Anyone else think like that? Do you stay in and cook for Valentine’s Day, go out, or ignore the day all together? 

Kyle and I always stay in… except that one time when we did go out on Valentine’s Day. Can you guess what I ordered? 

If you guessed crab cakes, you were right ?.

I’ve always been a huge crab cake fan and now that I’m gluten-free, ordering them out isn’t an option. No worries, though! Making them at home is SO easy and WAY cheaper. Most restaurants charge at least $25 for 2 (maybe 3 if you’re lucky) crab cakes, which is more than what I paid for the pound of crab meat I used!

The best part? You’ll get 6 jumbo crab cakes with NO unnecessary filler! Just sweet jumbo crab, a little binder, and some seasoning. That’s IT. 

Although these crab cakes are just perfect on their own, I’m all about the sauce. This particular sauce is inspired by favorite crab cakes at a restaurant Kyle and I have been going to since high school. They served theirs over a dijon sauce and a bed of caramelized onions. I took the onion component and blended it right into the sauce. It worked beautifully – perfect sweetness and mild onion flavor!

The rest of the sauce is made up of dijon mustard, mascarpone cheese, garlic, fresh dill, and lemon. A little hot water makes everything meld together and gives it the perfect consistency. It’s the perfect component to the crab cakes!

By the way, I’ve been putting the sauce on just about everything. Roasted chicken and veggies, salmon, shrimp – you name it!

The cooking process for the crab cakes is super simple and you can prepare them ahead of time! Simply mix together an egg white, old bay, mayo (I use homemade), gluten-free bread crumbs (or just regular if you aren’t gluten-free!), and then fold in the crab. Form the mixture into cakes, brush them with melted butter, and pop ’em under the broiler. Yep, these are broiled and not fried!

I’m a huge fan of pan-fried crab cakes (who wouldn’t be?), but I was going for a really soft-texture cake and the broiler is much easier for that. I’ve recently discovered how wonderful my old-fashioned drawer broiler is. When we moved into this apartment, I avoided that broiler drawer for some reason. We just started using it last month and I’m hooked! It cooks such a great steak and browns these crab cakes perfectly. 

The cook time on the crab cakes will all depend on your broiler – this thing is no joke so mine cooked pretty fast. If you have an electric broiler or new-age gas broiler, the time may be longer. Just keep a close eye on them because the tops can burn in the blink of an eye!

If you love crab cakes, you’ll love making your own at home! I know it seems like an intimidating thing to make, but they couldn’t be any easier. Plus, you’ll save a ton of money!

Enjoy and have a fabulous weekend, friends! ?

Perfect Crab Cakes {with Creamy Dijon Sauce}

2016-02-11 14:35:44

Yields 6

Impress your valentine with this restaurant classic! These crab cakes are made with no extra filler, broiled to perfection, and covered in a flavorful creamy Dijon sauce.

Save Recipe

Print

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

35 min

Total Time

45 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

35 min

Total Time

45 min

For the Sauce

1. 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
2. 1 Medium-Sized Red Onion, thinly sliced
3. Salt & Pepper
4. 1 Clove Garlic, finely minced
5. ¼ Cup Mascarpone Cheese, at room temperature
6. 1 ½ Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
7. 1 Teaspoon Fresh Dill
8. 1 Lemon, zested and juiced
9. ½ Cup Hot Water

For the Crab Cakes

1. 1 lb. Jumbo Lump Crab
2. 1 Egg White, beaten until frothy
3. 1 Teaspoon Old Bay
4. Salt & Pepper
5. ¼ Cup Homemade Mayonnaise, or your favorite store-bought brand
6. ¼- ½ Cup Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs, or regular breadcrumbs if you don’t need gluten-free
7. 1 Tablespoon Butter, melted

For the Sauce

1. Melt the butter in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat and add in the red onion. Allow the onions to soften for 3-5 minutes, season lightly with salt and pepper, and then turn the heat down to low and allow the onions to caramelize very slowly, about 25 minutes.
2. Transfer the onions to a high-speed blender and add in the garlic, mascarpone cheese, fresh dill, lemon zest, juice, and hot water. Blend the sauce until smooth and creamy and then season it with salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce seems too thick, simply add more hot water.

For the Crab Cakes

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Combine the crabmeat with the egg white, old bay, salt, pepper, mayonnaise, and ¼ cup of the breadcrumbs. Mix gently and if the mixture is wet, add another ¼ cup of breadcrumbs. You want the mixture to come together easily, but not be too wet or dry. You should be able to easily form cakes that hold together, but still have moisture.
3. Form the crab mixture into 6 cakes – I use a large ice cream scoop to ensure they are all the same size. Place the crab cakes on a small baking pan and brush them evenly with the melted butter.
4. Broil the crab cakes for 8-10 minutes, or until they are golden brown and cooked through. **The cook time will all depend on your broiler – I have an old gas broiler drawer, which cooks pretty fast. I recommend keeping a very close eye on them to avoid burning!
5. Serve the crab cakes drizzled with sauce. Enjoy!

Make Ahead Instructions

1. Prepare the sauce as written, cool and then refrigerate until ready to serve. The sauce is good cold or at room temp.
2. Prepare the crab cakes and form them, then cover and refrigerate until ready to cook. You'll need to broil them a little longer after they've been refrigerated, but only by a few minutes!

Fashionable Foods https://fashionablefoods.com/