Buttery Ritz Crab Cakes
This is the BEST crab cake recipe! These delicious crab cakes are made extra delicious with fresh crab meat and buttery Ritz crackers.
Should crab cakes be enjoyed as an appetizer, side dish or main dish? I say, “do whatever!” I think they’re delicious for breakfast, lunch AND dinner.
Crab cake eggs benedict? Yes! Crab cakes on a salad? I’m in! Crab cakes by themselves? Sign me up!
“These are the best crab cakes I ever made. Next time I’ll add a little more Old Bay, only because we love our Old Bay here in Maryland. I’ve never dried crab meat with paper towels, but it made a huge difference. My crab cakes did not fall apart like they have in the past. This is my new go to crab cake recipe. Thanks!” – Patricia
All crab cakes need at least a bit of a binder (a.k.a. a little filler) in the crab mixture. Most people want minimal filler, but you do need at least a little bit of binding agent to keep your crab together!
Most people use breadcrumbs and eggs for this binding agent, but I like to use butter cracker crumbs for a buttery flavor.
“I made these and they were DELICIOUS!!!”- Julia
This recipe is in no way a traditional Maryland crab cake, rather it’s my recipe developed over the years, tweaking the ingredients here and there!
Regardless, this makes a GREAT crab cake that you can fry in the pan, bake or even air fry.
What kind of crab meat should I use for crab cakes?
We are looking for big pieces of crab, so I recommend jumbo lump crabmeat.
Recipe Additions
There are so many things you can add to this recipe! For a little extra heat, try a splash or hot sauce or cayenne pepper to the crab mixture, or increase the amount of Cajun seasoning.
I also love to add a few teaspoons of diced green onions or red bell pepper.
Recipe Substitutions
Here are a few suggestions to help you use what you have on hand!
- Substitute saltine crackers for the Ritz crackers
- Substitute your favorite seafood seasoning or Cajun seasoning for the Old Bay
- If you like to use homemade mayo, please do so! Either way, I recommend using high quality mayonnaise (the real deal), rather than Miracle Whip.
- I do not recommend using imitation crab meat. Use real crab meat when possible.
If you have leftover crab meat to use (lucky you), try out this Crab Risotto, Easy Crab Ceviche, Creamy Crab Soup or my Crab Carbonara Pasta!
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve these crab cakes with fresh parsley or chives, and something to cut the richness. Some ideas: fresh lemon juice, plain Greek yogurt, simple tartar sauce or my Easy Lemon Garlic Aioli.
For side dishes, a simple baked potato and Julie’s Italian House Salad are my picks! If you need more ideas, check out 15+ of the Best Side Dishes for Crab Cakes.
I hope you love these Ritzy Crab Cakes! If you make them, I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below.
Buttery Ritz Crab Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
For the filling:
- 2 small eggs
- 1 cup crushed Ritz crackers, roughly 20 crackers
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/3 teaspoon parsley, dried (or 1 teaspoon fresh, chopped)
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
For serving (optional):
- lemon wedges
- fresh chopped parsley
- aioli sauce
For pan frying (optional, baking and air frying instructions included as well):
- about ¾ cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Pat crab meat dry with paper towels.
- In a large mixing bowl, add eggs. Whip briskly with a wire whisk.
- Then, to the large bowl, add crushed crackers, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings.
- Next, add crab meat to the Ritz mixture. Use a spatula to gently fold the crab meat into the mixture, trying not to break up the crab.
- Use hands or a large scoop to form 5-6 crab cakes, about 3 ounces of crab cake mixture per cake.
- Place crab cakes on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator, and allow to rest for 30 minutes. This step will help the cake stay together while cooking.
- To Bake: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Add prepared crab cakes to the greased baking sheet. Bake in the center of the oven for 7-9 minutes until the outside of the cakes are golden brown, and the internal temperature reads 150 degrees Fahrenheit with an instant read thermometer. If you’re having trouble getting the cakes to brown (but they are done), broil on high for 20-30 seconds. Serve warm.
- To Pan Fry: Add vegetable oil to a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed cast-iron skillet. Heat over medium high heat until it sizzles upon contact. Add cakes and fry for 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove and allow to rest on a paper towel lined plate before serving warm.
- To Air Fry: Preheat your air fryer to 390 degrees Fahrenheit. Place crab cakes in air fryer basket, and spray the cakes with cooking spray to help them brown. Air fry for 10-12 minutes, or until the internet temperature reads at least 150 degrees Fahrenheit with an instant read thermometer.
- Serve warm with a squeeze of lemon juice and/or a dollop of aioli over the top.
I added more crackers, red & yellow peppers, red onion, jalapeño, fresh garlic and red pepper flakes. The aioli I used fresh garlic, a seasoned salt (I chose spicy salt) lemon juice and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. It was more liquidy than I would have thought to start but I pan fried them for the time you said and if they were too large I would squish them down after I flipped them for a more even cooking. Thank you for this recipe!
The additions sound great! Glad you enjoyed them.
best recipe ever, i broil with a dot of butter underneath and on top!
You made my day! So glad you love them, thank you!
I have been making much more complicated crab cake recipes, including my favorite lady, Ina Garten’s. I love all things Ina, but this recipe knocks all the others out of the running and is 100x easier and faster with less steps.
Oh wow, you truly made my day! Thank you so much for the feedback and the compliment! 🙂
Just a hopefully helpful suggestion. Don’t use a dutch oven because you won’t be able to flip them, they will break. Also, if you have a good non stick (I have Made In) they work just fine, they are heavier than pans from Wally World or discount stores which I wouldn’t recommend using. I have made these cakes in cast iron, carbon steel and good non stick. Probably best results with carbon steel as they work like cast iron with a lighter weight for us older folks. This recipe always wins at our house and I am in the tweaking mode now, adding herbs from my garden like dill or Thai Basil. Put what you like so long as you follow the weights/measures provided for the mix. Thanks for a knock out recipe.
Definitely a helpful suggestion, thank you! A low profile skillet makes it much easier to flip the crab cakes. I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipe!
I used the recipe but, as Leslie started to write, it looks like the dried/fresh parsley amounts are backwards. Generally, one uses much less dried as compared to fresh, so I used 1 teaspoon of fresh parsley, assuming you meant to write 1/3 teaspoon dried parsley or 1 teaspoon fresh.
with that exception, I made it as is and it’s a winner.
Thank you, Dan! You are 100% correct on the fresh to dried conversion, sorry for the error! I have it corrected, and so glad you enjoyed the crab cake recipe! 🙂
These are the best crab cakes I ever made. Next time I’ll add a little more Old Bay, only because we love our Old Bay here in Maryland. I’ve never dried crab meat with paper towels, but it made a huge difference. My crab cakes did not fall apart like they have in the past. This is my new goto crab cake recipe. Thanks!
You made my day Patricia! I did go a little light on the Old Bay knowing folks could add more (or their favorite Cajun seasoning) if they like it with a kick. Thank you for the feedback!
These were phenomenal! I’m going to have to double the recipe next time, because my kids pounded them down in no time!
That is awesome! Thanks April!
My apologies but i think you have the amount of parsley in this recipe backwards. 1/3 cup fresh parsley shoul
Hi Leslie! Your message cut off, could you try again? Would love to hear from you, thank you!
These are so good! I love that buttery flavor that the Ritz gives them. DEE-licious!
I agree! The Ritz crackers make it amazing!