What a show-stopping, easy appetizer! Big pieces of jumbo lump crab, egg, mayonnaise, Old Bay, lemon juice, tamari, Dijon mustard, and fresh parsley flakes are held together with the tiniest amount of almond flour. They are brushed with melted ghee before a quick bake in a very hot oven.
Recipes adapted from Mary’s Whole Life and Immaculate Bites
A true Maryland crab cake has a lot of crab — lump crab meat that you can see. It’s made with just enough filler to hold it together so you taste all that sweet, crab flavor and not breading. A traditional Maryland crab cake usually consists of lump crab, egg, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce (we’re using tamari as a replacement), Dijon mustard, and some sort of binder; in most cases, this is either cracker crumbs or breadcrumbs. To keep this gluten-free, we are using only 3 tablespoons of almond flour. It’s just enough to hold them together.
Depending upon which part of the country you live in and how accessible fresh crab is to you will determine what type of crab you will be using in this recipe. In the Midwest, I was limited to canned crab due to COVID-19 restrictions temporarily closing my fresh seafood counter. Make sure to buy wild-caught fancy white lump crab meat. (I used two cans and one can of jumbo lump crab meat. The jumbo lump crab meat was found in the refrigerated section in the seafood section of my local grocery store.) The jumbo lump crab meat is going to be more expensive, roughly $18 per can, but it will contain very little liquid. My can was 6 ounces so it was 6 ounces of meat. The other two cans net weight was 6 ounces, but after it was drained it was only 4 ounces of meat. These will be a little less expensive, but still pricey, about $9 per can. Since this is part of our Father’s Day edition of Family Date Night Dinner, I felt the splurge was warranted for a special occasion meal.
Be sure to make the mixture ahead of time to give it time to chill so your cakes will stay together. Gently fold in your crab meat. You don’t want to break up all of the beautiful lumps. Serve with lemon wedges, compliant cocktail sauce, or remoulade (my family’s favorite). The recipe is included below. This recipe will make 12 appetizer crab cakes or 6 full-sized crab cakes.
To make this a complete Family Date Night Dinner of your own, please see my posts for Cherry Beergaritas, Classic Shrimp Boil, and Dairy-Free Crème Brûlée.
Let’s get cooking!
Ingredients
Crab cakes:
1 pound of fresh lump crab meat (at your seafood counter/refrigerator section). If you’re using canned crab, your total weight may be slightly less than a pound.
1 large egg
1/4 cup of mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of tamari (you can also use coconut aminos or Worcestershire sauce)
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons of almond flour or all-purpose flour (if gluten-free is not needed)
2 tablespoons of ghee, melted
Remoulade sauce:
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon of hot sauce, adjust to taste
2 tablespoons of dill pickle, finely chopped
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 pinches of cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
How to make:
Please be sure to visit: Mary’s Whole Life for the source recipe and original instructions.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk egg, mayonnaise, Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice, tamari, Dijon mustard, and parsley. Add the crab meat and almond flour. Use a rubber spatula and gently fold the mixture together. Be careful to maintain the beautiful lump crab pieces.
Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for a minimum of 20 minutes (up to overnight) so your mixture stays together when you form the crab cakes.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, place about two tablespoons of the mixture into 12 appetizer-sized cakes or 1/3 cup for 6 full-sized crab cakes.
Use your hands to shape them/gently press down and secure any loose pieces of crab.
Brush half of the melted ghee onto the crab cakes.
Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the sides are crispy.
Brush the top of each cake with the remaining melted ghee.
Serve with a wedge of lemon, compliant cocktail sauce, or remoulade, if desired.
Enjoy!
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For the remoulade sauce:
Please be sure to visit: Immaculate Bites for the source recipe and original instructions.
Mix all ingredients for the sauce in a medium-sized bowl.
Refrigerate until ready to use.
Enjoy!
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