Ina Garten's Crab Cakes

Ina Garten's crab cakes include vegetables such as red onion, celery, and bell pepper in addition to seasonings like black pepper, Worcestershire, Dijon mustard, and mayonnaise. They are crispy and tender crab cakes that are full of flavor and perfect for lunch or dinner with a fresh green salad, coleslaw, and/or French fries.

Ina Garten's Crab Cakes

Ina Garten's crab cakes are easy to make, taking less than 60 minutes to make. These crab cakes are made of red onion, celery, red and yellow bell pepper, and capers. If desired, you can add some other ingredients like carrots or boiled potatoes to the crab mixture as well.

For the seasoning, the crab cakes use kosher salt, black pepper, and Old Bay crab boil seasoning. However, you can add Italian seasoning or dried rosemary as well.

Mayonnaise and Dijon mustard are added to the crab cakes for flavor and to keep them moist while breadcrumbs help bind the entire mixture together. Finally, the cakes are fried in olive oil until golden brown and crispy on the outsides before serving.

These delicious crab cakes are a great dinner idea when you serve them with your favorite sauce and a simple fresh salad.

Crab Cakes Ingredients

For the Crab Cake Mixture

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¾ cup diced red onion (1 small onion)
• 1 ½ cups diced celery (4 stalks)
• ½ cup finely diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)
• ½ cup finely diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)
• ¼ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• ¼ teaspoon Tabasco hot pepper sauce
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay crab boil seasoning
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ pound lump crab meat (or imitation crab, kanikama), drained and chopped into small pieces
• ½ cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

For Frying the Cakes

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• ¼ cup olive oil 

How to Make Ina Garten's Crab Cakes 

For the Crab Cake Mixture

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, parsley, capers, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, crab boil seasoning, salt, and pepper, to the saucepan.

2. Cook the vegetables over medium-low heat until they are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. 

3. Remove the vegetables from the heat and allow them to cool to room temperature.

4. In a large bowl, break the lump crab meat into small pieces and mix it with the breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, and eggs.

5. Add the cooked vegetable mixture to the crab mixture and stir until evenly combined.

6. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

7. After the 30 minutes have passed, shape it into bite-sized crab cakes. 

For Frying the Cakes

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a deep frying pan until it reaches between 359 F - 375 F.

2. Cooking in batches, add the crab cakes and fry them for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until browned. 

3. Drain the crab cakes on paper towels, and then keep them warm in a 250 F oven while you continue frying the crab cakes. Serve hot. 

What Temperature Should the Oil Be to Fry the Crab Cakes?

The oil temperature should reach between 350 F and 375 F before frying the crab cakes. It takes about 6 minutes for the oil to reach 350 F. I recommend you use an oil thermometer as it's really helpful in ensuring that the oil heats to the correct temperature to fry the crab cakes. If the oil is too cold, the cakes will become soggy and if it is too hot, you may burn the cakes.

What Can You Serve with the Crab Cakes for Dinner?

Here are some side dishes you can serve with the crab cakes:

• Mad Hatter Salad
• Cranked-Up Corn Chowder
• Chef John's White Gazpacho
• Red Pepper Soup
• Cranberry and Cilantro Quinoa Salad
• Avocado Soup
• Stellini Soup
• Tomato Soup
• Torchetti Pasta

Frequently Asked Questions

How Should You Store the Crab Cakes? You can easily store leftover crab cakes to enjoy over the next few days. Just wrap them with aluminum foil and place them in the fridge. The crab cakes can last in the fridge for 4-5 days. 

Can You Freeze Cooked Crab Cakes? Yes, you can easily freeze leftover crab cakes, however, it doesn't matter if they are cooked or uncooked. Crab cakes can last in the freezer for 6-8 months without any issues.

How Can You Reheat the Crab Cakes? You can reheat the crab cakes in the oven, air fryer, or microwave.

If you choose to reheat them in an air fryer, just preheat to 300 F for 1 minute, and then place the crab cakes in the air fryer basket and reheat them for 2 minutes.

If you reheat the crab cakes in the oven, preheat it to 300 F or 325 F. Then, place the crab cakes in the oven for 2 minutes until heated through, and then serve them.

If you choose to heat the crab cakes in the microwave, place the crab cakes in a microwave-safe dish or container. Then, brush the crab cakes with a small amount of olive oil or melted butter. Heat in the microwave for about 1 minute; then, flip them and heat them for another 30 seconds.

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Ina Garten’s Crab Cakes

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ina Garten’s crab cakes include vegetables such as red onion, celery, and bell pepper in addition to seasonings like black pepper, Worcestershire, Dijon mustard, and mayonnaise. They are crispy and tender crab cakes that are full of flavor and perfect for lunch or dinner with a fresh green salad, coleslaw, and/or French fries.

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¾ cup diced red onion (1 small onion)
• 1 ½ cups diced celery (4 stalks)
• ½ cup finely diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)
• ½ cup finely diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)
• ¼ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• ¼ teaspoon Tabasco hot pepper sauce
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay crab boil seasoning
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ pound lump crab meat (or imitation crab, kanikama), drained
• ½ cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

For Frying the Cakes

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¼ cup olive oil

Instructions

For the Crab Cake Mixture

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, parsley, capers, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, crab boil seasoning, salt, and pepper, to the saucepan.
2. Cook the vegetables over medium-low heat until they are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. 
3. Remove the vegetables from the heat and allow them to cool to room temperature.
4. In a large bowl, break the lump crab meat into small pieces and mix it with the breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, and eggs. 
5. Add the cooked vegetable mixture to the crab mixture and stir until evenly combined.
6. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
7. After the 30 minutes have passed, shape it into bite-sized crab cakes. 

For Frying the Cakes

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a deep frying pan until it reaches between 359 F – 375 F.
2. Cooking in batches, add the crab cakes and fry them for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until browned. 
3. Drain the crab cakes on paper towels, and then keep them warm in a 250 F oven while you continue frying the crab cakes. Serve hot. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 733Total Fat: 63gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 42gCholesterol: 258mgSodium: 1349mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 23g