Crab Cake Sandwich Recipe
Published January 23, 2023. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This amazing crab cake sandwich is loaded with peppers, onions, and seasonings with spicy aioli and is served on a toasted brioche bun. You will be blown away at how delicious this sandwich is.
I would eat seafood every single day if I could. I love it that much. If you’re in the same boat, no pun intended, you must try my Salmon Burgers or Fried Shrimp Recipe.
Crab Cake Sandwich
A crab cake sandwich is a fried crab cake served on a bun with condiments such as sauce, lettuce, and tomato. This dish will have different ingredients and preparations depending on where you are eating it and who is making it. This dish will most likely be very simple if eaten in Maryland as their crabcakes have few ingredients, and they love huge chunks of unbroken-up jumbo lump crab in their crab cakes.
I took it a little further for my recipe because I wanted the cake to be more filling. I added some bell peppers, a poblano pepper, onions, and garlic. These few ingredients are added to the final flavors in the crab cakes. The beautiful thing about this recipe is that you can customize it to make it your own.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Peppers – I use a combination of red and yellow bell peppers and poblano pepper.
- Onion – You can use a sweet, red, white, or yellow onion. In addition, I add some garlic to the batter as well.
- Lemon – A little lemon juice will help add some clean acid to the crab cakes.
- Mayonnaise – Use a good full-fat mayonnaise.
- Mustard – A little Dijon mustard will complement the batter nicely.
- Eggs – Some large eggs will help bind the batter.
- Crab – I prefer to use fresh or jumbo lump crab meat. Be sure to pick through it gently to ensure there are no shells.
- Breadcrumbs – You can use panko or regular breadcrumbs.
- Seasonings – I like the combination of Worcestershire, Tabasco, and Old Bay seasoning.
- Sauce – An aioli with a little bit of paprika pepper is what I used, and it complemented the crab cake sandwich perfectly.
- Bread – I prefer to use a brioche bun.
- Toppings – The standard lettuce, onion, and tomato add a nice touch to the sandwich.
How to Make a Crab Cake Sandwich
Start by preparing all the vegetables accordingly. Next, in a skillet on low heat with 1 tablespoon of butter, add in the chopped peppers, shallots, and garlic, and cook for 4-6 minutes. After they are cooked, let them cool in the refrigerator.
Next, add crab, mayo, eggs, panko, lemon juice, Lea and Perrins, tabasco, mustard, old bay, and cracked pepper to the chilled pepper mixture and mix thoroughly.
Form the crab cake mixture into 4-inch patties, and set aside.
Sauté the crab cake patties in 2 tbs olive oil on medium-high heat, browning on both sides for 2 to 3 minutes and finishing in the oven at 350° for 8 – 10 minutes.
In the meantime, add all ingredients for the aioli in a bowl and mix well.
Add the crab cake patties to an onion or brioche roll with lettuce, tomato, onion, and the fantastic aioli.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: This crab cake sandwich is meant to be eaten as soon as it is finished cooking.
How to Store: Keep the crab cakes and toppings separate and covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The crab cakes by themselves will freeze well covered for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating and serving.
How to Reheat: Add the desired number of crab cakes to a 13×9 casserole dish and cover it with foil or a lid. Bake in the oven at 350° for 8-12 minutes or until warm.
Chef Notes + Tips
- I prefer olive oil or healthier high-smoke point oil when frying these crab cakes for the sandwich.
- You can use whatever bun you’d like in this dish.
- If you like spicy, swap out the poblano pepper for a jalapeño.
- You can finish cooking the crab cakes on the cooktop for 4 to 5 minutes per side on medium heat.
More Seafood Recipes
- Salmon Patties
- Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Pan-Seared Chilean Sea Bass
- Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Pan Seared Halibut
Crab Cake Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup of seeded small diced red bell pepper
- ¼ cup of seeded small diced yellow bell pepper
- ¼ cup of seeded small diced poblano pepper
- ½ peeled and small diced yellow onion
- 2 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 1 pound jumbo lump crab
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire
- Dash Tabasco sauce
- 2 teaspoons old bay seasoning
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ recipe for aioli
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 sliced large tomato
- 6 leaves red leaf lettuce
- ½ peeled and thinly sliced red onion
- 6 toasted brioche buns
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- In a skillet on low to medium heat with 1 tablespoon of butter add in the chopped peppers, onions, and garlic and cook for 4-6 minutes. They should just be tender and not browned.
- After they are cooked, let them cool in the refrigerator on a plate. This will take about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Next add the crab, lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard, eggs, panko, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and old bay to a bowl with the chilled pepper mixture and mix thoroughly. Be gentle when mixing, so you don’t break up too much of the crab meat.
- Form the crab cake mixture into six 4-inch patties and set aside.
- Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil to a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and add the crab cakes and cook them for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until browned. You may need to cook these in batches if you’re pan is not large enough. Place them on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake them in the oven at 350° for 8 – 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, whisk together the paprika with the aioli in a small bowl until combined. Set aside.
- Add the crab cake patties to a brioche roll with lettuce, tomato, onion, and aioli.
I am hoping you can help me. I can never keep the crab cakes together.. mine always break apart. I did your recipe 100% and still had issues. This happens with any crab cake I make. And btw, these are delicious!
Gentle on the folds.
Love it!
Do you have the nutritional factors..
no ma’am! I do believe there are som calculators out there that can help you with that.