Use Your Hands to Mix: The key to perfect crab cakes is gentle handling—avoid overmixing. The best method is to mix the ingredients with your hands, which helps preserve the large chunks of crab. After all, you bought jumbo lump crab for a reason—keep those beautiful pieces intact!
Let the Lemon Aioli Rest: Don’t hesitate to make the aioli ahead of time. Allowing it to rest for a few hours—or even overnight—gives the mayonnaise time to fully absorb all the bright, garlicky, and citrusy flavors, making the sauce even more delicious when served.
Switch Up the Sauce: While lemon aioli is a favorite, I also enjoy serving crab cakes with tartar sauce or cocktail sauce. If you know me, you know I always need a good dip to go with my food—options are a must!
Easy Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli
Easy Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli deliver crisp, golden bites of tender crab meat paired with a bright, creamy citrus sauce, perfect for any occasion. With simple ingredients and endless variations, this dish is both approachable and indulgently flavorful.
Ingredients
Crab Cakes
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1½ teaspoons stone ground mustard
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 pound lump crab meat
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Lemon Aioli
- 1 clove garlic minced (or 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder)
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
How to Make Lemon Aioli:
- In a small bowl, whisk together all the aioli ingredients until smooth and well blended. Taste and season with salt as needed. Set aside until ready to serve alongside the crab cakes.
How to Make Crab Cakes:
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, panko breadcrumbs, stone ground mustard, egg, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay seasoning, dried dill, lemon juice, and hot sauce until fully combined. Gently fold in the lump crab meat, using your hands or a rubber spatula to mix. Be careful not to overwork the mixture—you want to keep the crab intact. The mixture should hold together when shaped into a ball.
Shape the mixture into 8 evenly sized crab cakes.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Place the crab cakes in the pan and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, or until both sides are nicely browned and heated through.
- Serve the crab cakes warm with a spoonful of lemon aioli and garnish with fresh chives, if desired.