Jen’s East Coast Crab Cakes

At Thanksgiving, at least some of the Michigan segment of Eli’s family (which is most of it) travels to wherever his brother Ted is living. The past two years, that has been in Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. Eli and I have spent the past two Thanksgiving holidays exploring D.C. and hanging out with Ted, his wife Jen, and their kids, Skylar and Gabby. Virginia in November is lovely – the leaves still cling to the trees in all their colorful glory, whereas the Michigan landscape is barren and brown by that point. We generally feel, as we drive from west to east, that we’re going back in time in some way. We watch winter recede as the miles pass.

One of the highlights of a week in Virginia for both of us is Jen’s crab cakes, a family recipe from her aunt. She always serves them for dinner when we’re visiting – and Eli always makes sure I remind her that he’s expecting them! This past Thanksgiving, I asked Jen for the recipe so that I could make crab cakes at home for Eli, and he wouldn’t have to wait an entire year to eat them again.

Jen serves her crab cakes burger-style, on buns with lettuce and tomato for anyone who wants it, and chips and coleslaw or some kind of salad on the side. I’ve found that I like them with sweet potato oven fries.

The challenge in making these, if you live far from the ocean as I do, is finding fresh lump crabmeat. The canned variety just won’t do as far as flavor is concerned. Also, it has to be real crab. The imitation stuff won’t work, so if that’s all you can find, don’t bother. Costco carries lump crab in a plastic container in the refrigerated section, and that has been my only option, with delicious results.

Jen’s East Coast Crab Cakes


1 pound lump crabmeat
1 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs, available in the Asian section of the market)
1/4 cup mayonnaise (light or homemade work just as well as regular)
1/4 cup sweet yellow onion, finely chopped (I stress “finely,” or you will have crunchy chunks of onion in your crab cakes rather than flavor-enhancing bits)
1/4 cup chopped scallions or green onions
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1 tablespoon dried parsley
Non-GMO (preferably organic) canola oil for frying

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the oil, and mix with your hands as you would meatloaf until everything is fully combined. Shape into burger-size patties.

In a large skillet, pour just enough oil to cover the bottom. Heat the oil until a drop of water scattered on the surface sizzles. Add a few of the crab cake patties, leaving enough room between them to make turning with a spatula easy. (You will need to cook the crab cakes in a few batches, unless you use a big electric skillet.)

Cook 3-5 minutes over medium-high heat, until the underside is brown and crispy – use a spatula to gently lift an edge and check their progress. Flip, and cook the other side. Remove to a platter lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.

Serve on buns with lettuce, tomato, and mayo – or, if you’re Eli, ketchup.