Crab cakes and summer in Maryland go together like peanut butter and jelly. Or, you know, in paleo/gluten-free terms, sunbutter and fruit spread on…sweet potato toast? You get what I mean. And these Paleo Crab Cakes? Pure summer gold/flavor explosion coming right atcha.
If you’ve never been to a crab bake/pick/whatever you wanna call it, it’s epic. You grab a bunch of newspaper and some good company, drinks, spread the crabs and crackers on the table with some butter (or ghee!) and vinegar, some extra old bay, and hack away at them until you get the meat out of the little buggers.
If you’re lucky (and not afraid of squeamish crabs), you can get them fresh, and cook them yourself at home. Pets beware if you keep the bushel on the floor – the crabs will try and pinch them! You should’ve seen Bella trying to figure out what these little moving creatures were. The confusion (and jumping around being totaly skiddish) was sooo real.
And if you’re really lucky, you’ll have at least a dozen crabs leftover so you can pick them, set the meat aside, and make crab cakes the next day. I guess lucky is a relative term, because if there’s only one person who wants to pick the rest of the crabs, it could take you quite a while to finish it! But the crab cakes make it totally worth it.
To make a good crab cake (in my oh so humble Maryland + foodie opinion), you can’t have a lot of filler. There has to be a ton of fresh crab meat, that isn’t overpowered by the spices, to allow the natural sweetness of the crab to shine through. You’ll fry them lightly on both sides until golden brown, and then devour them with some old bay aioli. Or maybe some hollandaise and poached eggs if you wanted to make little breakfast benedicts out of them! Serious flavor explosion coming your way!
- 1 lb fresh crab meat
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp tessemae’s mild buffalo sauce or Frank’s Red Hot
- 1 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped
- 2 Tbsp coconut flour
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil or ghee, for the pan
- 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp hot sauce
- 1 Tbsp old bay seasoning
- Juice of ½ lemon (about 1 Tbsp)
- Gently pick through the crab to make sure there are no shells in the meat.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the eggs, mayo, mustard, lemon juice, and hot sauce, mixing until smooth.
- In a separate small bowl, combine old bay, parsley, and coconut flour, mixing thoroughly.
- Gently fold the crab into the egg mixture until combined, then add the dry ingredients to the crab mixture and gently mix in. Try not to break up/shred the pieces of crab too much.
- Use a ¼c measuring cup to form about 7-8 crab cakes, squeezing out a little of the liquid with your hands in each one. Place them in on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or in a large tuppperware, and refrigerate for about half an hour.
- Meanwhile, make the Old Bay Aioli. Combine the mayonnaise, hot sauce, old bay seasoning, and lemon juice in a small bowl; stir until combined and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Heat the coconut oil or ghee over medium heat in a medium sized pan or cast iron skillet, and place the sliders carefully in the hot oil. Press them down a bit so they resemble burgers, about ¾ - 1 inch thick.
- Cook the crab cakes for about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown.
- Serve with your favorite sauce! Current favorite: old bay aioli (ingredients above - just mix them together in a small bowl and you're good to go!)
Like these Paleo Crab Cakes? You’ll love these recipes too!
Old Bay Sausage, Kale & Plantain Frittata
Simple Salmon Cakes with Caper Aioli
Summer Greek Shrimp Skillet
Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict
