Crab Cakes with Lemon Dill Sauce

When people would ask if I had a favorite recipe at my business, I always answered "Crab Cakes with Lemon Dill Sauce"!  This dish was probably our most famous and it was the recipe that my family and I most enjoyed testing.  Use the best quality jumbo lump crab meat you can get.  If you make jumbo size crab cakes, they make a great summer dinner-- just add fresh local corn on the cob and some coleslaw and you are done.  You can also make these crab cakes appetizer size and serve them at your summer parties or for events through out the year.  These freeze fine, so you can make them ahead of time.  Just thaw them in the fridge for a day or two before cooking. 

Crab Cakes with Lemon Dill Sauce

2 large eggs (or approximately 1/3 cup of liquid eggs)
2 Tablespoons regular mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper *USE LESS IF YOU DON'T LIKE SPICY FOODS*
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 can Jumbo Lump Crab Meat (one pound can)
1/2 cup crushed Ritz crackers
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1.  Add the eggs, mayo, mustard powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, Old Bay seasoning, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to a large mixing bowl.  Whisk or stir to combine.

2.  Add the crab to the bowl of egg mixture and gently stir, so the crab is well coated.  Add the bread crumbs and cracker crumbs to the bowl and gently stir until the mixture is combined.  I always try to be careful not to break up the crab meat too much.

3.  Form the mixture into either 6 jumbo size crab cakes or 12 appetizer size crab cakes.

4.  There are two ways to cook these crab cakes.  Method A:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray.  Place crab cakes on baking sheet and bake for approximately 15 - 20 minutes, or until crab cakes are golden brown and cooked through.  Method B:  Heat approximately 1/2 cup of olive oil or vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium to medium high heat.  Add crab cakes and cook until golden brown and cooked through, turning once.  Serve with Lemon Dill Sauce (recipe below).  ENJOY!


Lemon Dill Sauce

1/4 cup Buttermilk
2 Tablespoons chopped Fresh Dill
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup Light or Regular Mayonnaise

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir.  (If you are making this to freeze, this portion of the sauce can be frozen.  Wait to add the mayo until you are serving the crab cakes because the mayo will not freeze well).  Add 1 cup of mayo to the mixture and stir.  Ideally, you should refrigerate for an hour or two before serving to let herb mixture fully flavor the mayo.