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Crab Cakes

A fried patty of crabmeat mixed with egg, mayonnaise, mustard, butter, parsley, seasonings, and breadcrumbs.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Parsley and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Crab Cakes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the mixture

  1. Stir together egg, mayo, Dijon mustard, butter, parsley, dry mustard, Old Bay seasoning, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl until smooth.

  2. Add crabmeat and stir to combine.

  3. Shape mixture into 8 patties.

  4. Roll patties in breadcrumbs and set aside until cooking.

Fry and serve

  1. Heat oil about 1-inch deep in a large skillet or frypan, and fry several crab cakes at a time (being sure not to crowd), until they are light golden and crispy.

  2. Drain on paper toweling and keep warm while cooking the rest.

  3. Serve them hot with lemon wedges and tartar sauce, if desired.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

657Calories
20 gProtein
18 gFat
101 gCarbs

Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Saucenot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,037 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  3. Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together27,047 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  4. Mustard + parsleytop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,588 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).

  5. Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,430 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Lump crabmeat
Forms the main body and flavour of the cakes, so it should stay in pieces.
Egg
Binds the mixture so the patties hold their shape while frying.
Mayonnaise
Adds moisture and richness, keeping the cakes tender inside.
Soft breadcrumbs
Absorb moisture and form a crisp, golden outer crust when fried.
Butter
Adds fat and rich flavour to the mixture.

The step that matters

Fry without crowding the pan. Crowding lowers the oil temperature, so the cakes steam instead of browning and may fall apart. Frying a few at a time keeps the heat high for a crisp crust.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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