CopycatSpices
Copycat Red Lobster Crab Cakes
Red Lobster's crab cakes are golden-crusted on the outside and packed with sweet, tender lump crab on the inside — restaurant-quality seafood made at home.
copycat · red-lobster · casual-dining · seafood
🕑Prep15 min
🍳Cook12 min
⏱Total27 min
🍽Serves4
⭐DifficultyMedium
Ingredients
- 1 pound lump crab meat, picked over for shells
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, plus extra for coating
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Lemon wedges and tartar sauce, for serving
Instructions
- 1.Inspect the crab. Gently pick through the crab meat with your fingers to remove any shell fragments. Be thorough but gentle — you want to keep the lumps intact.
- 2.Mix the binder. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, egg, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, lemon juice, parsley, and salt.
- 3.Fold in the crab. Add the crab meat and panko breadcrumbs to the binder mixture. Gently fold with a rubber spatula — don't stir aggressively or you'll break up the crab lumps.
- 4.Form the cakes. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions. Shape each into a thick patty about 3 inches wide. If the mixture feels loose, refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up.
- 5.Coat and cook. Press the outside of each cake lightly into additional panko. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the crab cakes for 4-5 minutes per side until golden brown and heated through.
- 6.Serve immediately. Plate the crab cakes with lemon wedges and tartar sauce on the side. A simple side salad completes the meal.
Copycat Red Lobster Crab Cakes
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Servings: 4 crab cakes
Red Lobster’s crab cakes hit the sweet spot between being loaded with actual crab meat and having enough binder to hold together. They’re golden and crispy on the outside, tender and crab-forward on the inside, with Old Bay seasoning and a touch of Dijon mustard adding depth without overwhelming the delicate crab flavor.
The most important rule for great crab cakes: don’t overwork the mixture. You want visible lumps of crab in every bite, not a smooth, processed-looking patty. The binder should be the minority ingredient — just enough to hold everything together.
Crab Cake Commandments
- Buy lump crab meat. Claw meat is cheaper but falls apart into shreds. Lump or jumbo lump crab gives you those beautiful, identifiable pieces of crab in every bite. It’s worth the extra cost.
- Fold, don’t stir. Stirring breaks the crab lumps into strings. Use a gentle folding motion with a spatula to combine without destroying the texture.
- Chill before cooking. If the patties feel loose, 30 minutes in the fridge firms up the binder and makes them easier to flip without falling apart.
Seafood Restaurant Savings
Crab cakes at Red Lobster cost $14-18 for two. Lump crab meat costs about $12-15 per pound at the grocery store, and this recipe makes four crab cakes. That’s about $4-5 per cake versus $7-9 at the restaurant — comparable cost but fresher and made to your specifications.
