Follow our complete, step-by-step, instructions to learn how to make these really great crab cakes using imitation crab meat.
Enjoy these delicious home made crab cakes that are made with imitation crab meat. Real crab meat is so expensive, but sometimes, you just want to enjoy the taste.
Crab meat can be expensive. As of today’s date (01.25.2020) Jumbo Lump Crab Meat is listed at 34.00 per pound in my area. That would be enough to make about 3-4 crab cakes, but it’s still mighty expensive in my book. Also, as of this date, I have yet to buy any to try and make home made crab cakes. It’s just too rich for my blood.
Having said that, I do love crab cakes. I’ve always wanted to be able to make them at home, I’ve just not been willing to invest that much into experimenting with them home made.
When I was making a lot of road trips, I had the pleasure to enjoy some great crab cakes up in Maryland. I’ve had crab cake from Faidley’s Seafood Market in Baltimore (Awesome), and I’ve had crab cakes more than once at G&M Restaurant in Linthicum Heights, Maryland. (also Awesome)
Yes, they were a bit pricey, but someone else was cooking them. I loved them and would love to have them again.
But, since Vertigo problems have kept me pretty much home bound for the past two years, road trips are out of the question. What’s a guy to do?
When one of the subscribers to the Newsletter shared a recipe for crab cakes that called for imitation crab meat, I decided to give it a try. They turned out great, and I was excited to at least get “close” to the sweet taste of what I’d had before. I did say close mind you. Smile.
So, Thank You to Fanica K., for sharing your recipe with me. I changed it only slightly because I ended up finishing mine off in the oven as opposed to frying them both sides on the stove top. I’ll explain that to you as we follow the recipe below.
I’ll make these again, and when I get it down pat, I might even try it with the real thing. Smile.
Ready to give our recipe a try? Alright then, let’s head on out to the kitchen, and… Let’s Get Cooking.
Imitation Crab Cakes Recipe – You’ll need these ingredients.
Crush the crackers. I placed about 12 buttery crackers in a ziplock type bag and crushed them up really well. I just worked these with my fingers, but you could use a rolling pin or heavy glass to help crush them if you prefer. Set these aside for the the moment.
You’ll also need to shred the packaged crab meat. Even though it says flaked on the package, you’ll probably find that it all comes out in one or two large lumps. You can either chop it up or pull it apart with your fingers. I used my fingers again.
Let me add that I left the meat in fairly large pieces. I think it would have been better to either pull it apart into smaller pieces or to even have chopped it up finer. A little texture is good, but the larger pieces didn’t hold together as well as I thought they should. It’s your choice of course. Smile.
Next, dice the onions into small pieces.
Crack the egg into a small bowl and lightly beat it with a fork.
Grab about a medium sized mixing bowl and place the crushed crackers in it.
Add the Duke’s Mayonnaise.
Add the lightly beaten egg.
Add the diced onion.
Use a fork to mix everything together well.
Add the imitation crab meat. Again, using a fork, stir everything together until it’s fully combined. Test the mixture with your hands to see if it will hold together well when you squeeze some in your hand. You might need to adjust the mixture a bit if it’s too wet or too dry. Use more crackers if it’s too wet, or use more mayonnaise if it’s too dry.
Now, this is where it got a bit messy and I didn’t get a photo. I needed to use two hands. Smile.
Scoop up about 1/4th of the mixture into your hand. Gently squeeze and work it together to make it into a patty, much like you would if making a hamburger patty. It should be firm and tight enough to hold together and not fall apart as you turn and flip it around in your hand.
One at a time, roll the crab patty into the bread crumbs. Panko type bread crumbs would be best. I didn’t seem to have any, so I crushed up some saltine crackers that I had on hand.
Naturally, a day or so later, I found my Panko Bread Crumbs that for some unknown reason I had placed in another cabinet. Go figure. Smile.
Repeat the process until you have four or maybe five patties complete.
Place a skillet over Medium heat on your stove top. Once it’s warm, add the butter and let it melt.
Gently place the crab cakes into the butter.
I knew I’d never be able to flip these over and cook them on the other side, so I changed up the recipe and decided to place them in the oven to finish. If you prefer, you can fry these until they start to get a little brown around the bottom edge, then flip them over and fry them until they are done. They should be lightly browned on both sides when finished.
To finish them in the oven, place the skillet in an oven that has been pre-heated to 400F degrees. Just let them bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops are lightly browned.
Remove from the oven when lightly browned on top.
Enjoy!
Serve warm alongside a nice baked potato. Good stuff, even if it’s only imitation. Smile.
