Last Updated on April 5, 2022
Today, we’re going to be looking at a copycat Legal Seafood crab cake recipe, to learn how to make the perfect crab cake. Legal Seafood is a popular seafood chain within the US. They’ve been around for decades and they’re well known for their delectable seafood dishes. Their crab cakes are infamous, so it’s no wonder you want to learn how to make them yourself – let’s take a look.
What Is A Crab Cake?
The crab cake is one of the most popular seafood dishes, and it’s not difficult to see why. Crab cakes are essentially burgers – but made from seafood! You create a patty using crab meat, egg, mayonnaise, and other herbs, spices, and seasonings.
It’s then fried for best results. However, baking crab cakes is often much easier and the choice that most people opt for. Pretty much anything goes with crab cakes – from fries, roasted potatoes, pasta, fried egg to potato salad.
Legal Seafood Crab Cake – Recipe 1
If you’re craving the crab cakes from Legal Sea Foods…look no further! You’ll feel like you’re eating at one of their restaurants from the comfort of your home, in no time at all. We’ll be looking at two recipes today. They’re very similar, however, the seasonings and spices differ slightly. The first recipe is an Air Fryer Copycat recipe, which is inspired by Fork to Spoon.
Ingredients
The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe are:
- 1/3 cup of mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon of dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon of Seafood seasoning or rub
- 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup of crushed oyster crackers
- 1lb of fresh lump crabmeat
Method
Step 1: Combining ingredients
Grab a large bowl and add the egg, Worcestershire sauce, seafood seasoning, both types of mustard, and the mayonnaise. Combine the ingredients well.
Step 2: Adding ingredients
Once mixed, add the oyster crackers and crabmeat. Ensure you combine well
Step 3: Shaping patties
Using your hands, shape your crab cakes into patties. Once shaped, place in the refrigerator for at least an hour
Step 4: Preheating air fryer
Grab a piece of parchment paper and line the bottom of your air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to around 370F. Once preheated, add your crab cake(s)
Step 5: Frying crab cakes
Leave in the air fryer for around 12 to 15 minutes
Step 6: Enjoy!
Your crab cake is now ready to serve.
Legal Seafood Crab Cake – Recipe 2
The second recipe is inspired by Epicurious, and is an oven recipe, for those that don’t have an air fryer. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon of dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon of horseradish
- 1/2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup of mayonnaise
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup of crushed saltine crackers
- 1 dash of tabasco
- 1 dash of Old Bay Seasoning
- 12oz of fresh lump crabmeat
- 1 dash of Worcestershire sauce
Recipe
Step 1: Mixing ingredients
Grab a bowl, and mix both of the mustards and mayonnaise
Step 2: Adding further ingredients
Once mixed well, add the horseradish, egg, Worcestershire sauce, tabasco, and Old Bay seasoning. Combine well
Step 3: Mixing ingredients with the crab meat
Now add the crab meat and saltine crackers. Mix well
Step 4: Chilling
Refrigerate for at least one hour
Step 5: Cooking the crab cakes
Preheat your oven to 400F. Cook for around 15 minutes
Step 6: Enjoy!
Your crab cakes are ready to serve!
Conclusion
I hope this article has helped you to perfect a Legal Seafood-inspired crab cake recipe and helped you to become more familiar with all things crab cake-related. There are many ways you can cook your crab cakes, so if you’re not sure whether you want to air fry, or cook in the oven – you can also sauté, deep fry, grill, or broil. The possibilities are endless when it comes to cooking crab cakes.
Do you know of any other crab cakes recipes inspired by the delicious ones served at Legal Sea Foods? Or any special ingredients that enhance these recipes to the next level? If so, please feel free to let me know in the comments below. Sharing is caring!
FAQs
What Part of the Crab is Used for Crab Cakes?
You may be wondering which part of the crab is used when it comes to making crab cakes, and more often than not, lump crabmeat is used. Lump crabmeat is large pieces of crab, which you'll find in the body of the crab. However, as this meat is the most tasty - it's definitely the most expensive. Flake crabmeat is also another choice you may want to consider. However, it's made from much smaller pieces of crabmeat - but is still from the crab's body. If you're looking for a budget friendly version, claw meat is also an option.
How do You Make Seafood Counter Crab Cakes?
If you're buying your crab cakes from a seafood counter, you may wonder how to cook them - well, it's super easy! All you need to do is take a pan and add two tablespoons of oil of your choice. On a low to medium heat, ensure the oil is hot before you add your crab cakes. If your crab cake is frozen, you'll want to cook it on both sides for around 8 minutes each. If they're thawed crab cakes, the time will be around 5 minutes instead.
What is Crab Cake Sauce Made of?
If you're looking for an easy crab cake sauce to accompany your crab cakes. You can make a 5 minute sauce using the following ingredients: 1/4 cup of tartar sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning, 1/2 of the juice from a small lemon and 1/2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce. All you need to do is whisk the ingredients together, and your sauce is ready! What's great about this recipe is that it's made using very similar ingredients to the crab cakes themselves, so you won't need to buy many additional ingredients.
Is Special Crab Meat Good for Crab Cakes?
Absolutely! In fact, some people say that special crab meat is the best choice when it comes to crab cakes. This is because it's the sweetest part of the crab. Much like lump crabmeat, special crabmeat also comes from the body of the crab. Special crab meat is usually the most versatile meat from the crab. This is because it can not only be used for crab cakes, but anything from salads, wraps, soups...and even quesadillas!
Legal Seafood Crab Cake - Recipe 1
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp Seafood seasoning or rub
- 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup crushed oyster crackers
- 1 lb fresh lump crabmeat
Instructions
- Grab a large bowl and add the egg, Worcestershire sauce, seafood seasoning, both types of mustard, and the mayonnaise. Combine the ingredients well.
- Once mixed, add the oyster crackers and crabmeat. Ensure you combine well
- Using your hands, shape your crab cakes into patties. Once shaped, place in the refrigerator for at least an hour
- Grab a piece of parchment paper and line the bottom of your air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to around 370F. Once preheated, add your crab cake(s)
- Leave in the air fryer for around 12 to 15 minutes
- Your crab cake is now ready to serve.