What to serve with crab cakes is a question that comes up often at Kitchen Authority.
We love crab cakes! They’re superb for parties and even better as a pre-dinner starter! Plus, they are part of a rich culinary history along the eastern seaboard.
The origins of the crab cake likely trace back to Native American cuisine, specifically from the Chesapeake region.
The History of Crab Cakes
They’re also super easy to make and that means if you’re in a hurry, you can pop these together in a few minutes and still look like a goddess/god in the kitchen!
First, let’s take a look at how to make crab cakes that really let the flavor the of crab shine!
Crab Cake Recipe | Kitchen Authority Style
You’re going to need a few ingredients:
- An egg
- Mayonnaise
- Lemon juice
- Hot sauce
- Green onion
- Salt and pepper
- Crabmeat
- Breadcrumbs with mixed herbs
- Olive oil
- Butter
Hopefully, you’ll have most of that stuff already hanging around the house.
One thing that makes crab cakes such a popular dish is that you almost always have the ingredients close to hand. Maybe other than the crab itself.
This is how you put things together
- You need to beat the egg but only lightly, you’re not making scrambled eggs. Then you add some mayonnaise, the lemon juice, some hot sauce and, of course, the green onion. You’ll want to adjust this until you have the taste just right. Then season with a little salt and pepper.
- Then grab your crabmeat. It’s fine to use fresh crab but for crab cakes, it’s probably cheaper and just as tasty to use an artificial crab meat or crab from a can. Mix with your hands until it reaches a consistent texture.
- Dip into the mix and pull out just enough to form a crab cake in the palm of your hand (you can always top this up, if you didn’t get enough first time).
- Then you need the breadcrumbs and mixed herbs and you want to thoroughly coat each crab cake in this.
- We like to fry our crab cakes and the best mix is a little cube of butter and live oil brought to heat before you add the crab cakes. (If you need to test the heat – just drop a couple of breadcrumbs in and see if the oil sizzles).
- Pop your crab cakes in when the oil is hot but try to leave some room between them. If you don’t give them space, they may end up soggy and steamed rather than crisp and fried, you can always cook a second batch if there’s not enough room for all the crab cakes.
- Turn the crab cakes over after 5 minutes or so. They ought to be golden brown when you do. After another 5 minutes, they ought to be golden brown on both sides and you’re ready to serve them.
- Now, it’s time to decide what you’ll serve with these tasty treats!
Our Favorite Side Dishes For Crab Cakes
Gazpacho Is The Answer When You Are Wondering What To Serve With Crab Cakes
Cold tomato soup is a French classic and it’s really good with crab cakes.
Get some stale bread (but get rid of the crust), water, some really big and ripe tomatoes, some cucumber (must be peeled then chopped), chopped celery stalk, onions, garlic and green bell peppers.
Then some olive oil, lemon juice, chopped mint and cilantro, sugar, salt, pepper and a touch of cayenne pepper for seasoning.
Then soak the bread in water. Throw all the ingredients in a blender and let them blend.
Finally, add the seasoning and give it another whirl. Pour into bowls when you’ve reached the consistency you want and chill.
Easy, right?
If you’re more comfortable following a recipe provided by a pro then this recipe from Gimme Some Oven is impressive and consistently delicious.
Oven Roasted Veggies
The crunchy bite of oven roasted vegetables can’t be beaten as an accompaniment to crab cakes. It’s a solid choice when you’re wondering what to serve with crab cakes.
This is easy. We like carrots (baby ones are awesome!), tomatoes (cherry are best), bell peppers and even asparagus for this.
Just get the oven pre-heated and then pop the sliced veggies onto a roasting tray. Add some olive oil, salt and pepper and then give them a good 30 minutes or so in the oven. (Don’t forget to turn them at the halfway point).
If you’re looking for some expert advice on how to roast vegetables then check out this How To Roast Vegetables tutorial.
Herb Roasted Potatoes Is A Solid Choice For What To Serve With Crab Cakes
We love roast potatoes with our crab cakes, though, in truth, we love roast potatoes with just about anything savory.
Parboil your potatoes for 5 minutes, before you roast them and bash them around in the pan to give them a fluffy outer texture. Put them on a baking tray and then either add olive oil or a hot animal fat (lard is particularly tasty) and add some herbs and spices to taste along with a little seasoning.
Roast for 20 minutes and then turn them over. Then roast for another 20 and serve. Delicious.
If you’re more comfortable following an exact recipe then you can’t go wrong with the Crispy Roasted Herb Potatoes recipe from Damn Delicious.
Remoulade Sauce
This is the classic. Forget tartare sauce, go Louisiana style on your crab cakes.
It’s so easy to make too! Simply mix mayonnaise, mustard (whole grain is best), ketchup, some minced garlic, horseradish, lemon juice, capers, parsley and onions in a bowl until they form a consistent mix.
It’s amazing!
I’m a big fan of Arnaud’s Remoulade Sauce available on Amazon.
For additional ideas and recipes for what to serve with crab cakes take a look at our Best Cookbooks Guide.
Great dishes to try