Maryland US · Appetizers & snacks

Maryland lump crab cakes

Name: Maryland lump crab cakes
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 1 h 9 min
Yield: 8 small crab cakes
Cuisine: Maryland US
Ingredients: 1 pound refrigerated pasteurized lump crabmeat, ideally blue crab; 1 large egg; 1/4 cup mayonnaise; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning; 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice; 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley; 10 saltine crackers, finely crushed, about 1/3 cup; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted; Lemon wedges and tartar sauce, for serving

Broiled lump crab cakes with barely enough cracker, egg, and mayonnaise to hold their sweet Chesapeake-style crab together.

About 1 hr 10 minTotal

About 40 minActive

$$$Cost

ModerateDifficulty

Makes 8 small crab cakes

Equipment

Wide spatula
Thin spatula
A similarly sized 13 × 18-inch rimmed pan works; smaller pans make a thicker pizza.
Best starting point
Nordic Ware Naturals Half Sheet · 43100
View at Amazon
Another workable path: A similarly sized 13 × 18-inch rimmed pan works; smaller pans make a thicker pizza.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We compared exact half-sheet geometry, uncoated material, reinforced construction, heat limit, care, stable model identity, and the exact Amazon destination. Manufacturer specifications establish model 43100 and its UPC, while America's Test Kitchen reports comparative cooking and handling results. Kwilt has not baked with this pan.
Nordic Ware Naturals Half Sheet · 43100: Its 13-by-18-inch footprint gives this soft dough the intended thickness, and the uncoated aluminum supports browning on the oiled bottom. Trade-off: Hand washing is recommended, and acidic tomato left on uncoated aluminum can discolor or pit the surface over time.
Another workable path: Use another rimmed half sheet only if its outside dimensions are close to 13 by 18 inches. A smaller pan makes a thicker pizza and needs its own bake adjustment.
Sources
Nordic Ware product details
America's Test Kitchen result
Nordic Ware model and UPC registry
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 8 small crab cakes

1 pound refrigerated pasteurized lump crabmeat, ideally blue crab
1 large egg
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
10 saltine crackers, finely crushed, about 1/3 cup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Lemon wedges and tartar sauce, for serving

Instructions

Spread crab on a tray and pick through it carefully with clean fingers, removing shell while preserving the largest lumps. Blot away excess package liquid without squeezing the crab dry.
Whisk egg, mayonnaise, Dijon, Worcestershire, Old Bay, lemon juice, and parsley. Fold in cracker crumbs, then fold in crab with a wide spatula just until coated; do not mash the lumps.
Shape eight loose 2-inch cakes on a parchment-lined . Refrigerate uncovered 30 minutes so the minimal binder hydrates and the cakes firm without extra filler.
Heat broiler with a rack 6 inches from the element. Brush cakes with melted butter and broil 6 to 8 minutes, rotating the pan once, until browned on top and 165°F at the center. Do not flip the delicate cakes.
Rest 3 minutes and lift with a thin spatula. Serve with lemon and tartar sauce alongside, not poured over, so sweet lump crab remains the leading flavor.

Maryland and the Chesapeake BayMid-Atlantic United States · Chesapeake Bay

A food story carried from Chesapeake Bay to Baltimore.

From the table

About this recipe

Maryland crab cakes are tied to the Chesapeake Bay’s blue-crab culture and to a regional preference for letting sweet crab remain visible and primary. The identity is less about one fixed binder formula than about restrained filler, gentle handling, and seasoning that supports rather than obscures the crab.

Modern availability complicates the name: a “Maryland-style” cake does not itself prove that the crab was harvested in Maryland or even that it is blue crab. This recipe therefore asks for clearly identified refrigerated lump crab, uses only enough egg, mayonnaise, and cracker to hold it, and broils rather than repeatedly handling a delicate cake in a skillet.

Sources

Dinner does not stop at the recipe