Want an easy recipe for crab cakes on the griddle? Learn how to make my favorite Blackstone crab cakes on your flat top grill or in a skillet on the stovetop!
Crab cakes are one of my absolute favorite meals. But living in East Tennessee, where I’m a minimum of 6 hours from the closest coast, I don’t get to enjoy them very often. So when I had a craving for my favorite Crab Cake Benedict breakfast recently, I decided to make some awesome crab cakes myself.
These Blackstone crab cakes are so easy to make with canned lump crab meat, crackers, and a few basic ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
So fire up your griddle, grab the ingredients, and let’s get started!
Ingredients for Griddle Crab Cakes
The Crab Meat
The crab meat is the most expensive ingredient in this easy recipe by far, but for the best crab cakes, look for premium lump crab meat. With lump crab meat, the crab really shines through. This is the crab that we used. We found this particular brand at Costco, and it’s a full pound of lump crab for a great price!
The Binder
When you’re making patties on the griddle (like meatloaf patties or crab cakes), you need a binder to act as the “glue” and keep all of the ingredients together. Here are the ingredients that I used to “bind” the lump crab meat together:
- mayonnaise
- egg
- crushed crackers – I used Club crackers because I enjoy the buttery taste, but Ritz crackers would work well also.
- Worcestershire sauce
- dijon mustard
- lemon juice
- hot sauce
- Old Bay seasoning
- salt and pepper
The Crispy Coating
For the best griddle grilled crab cakes, I prefer to use a very thin coating of panko breadcrumbs. The panko adds a nice crispy texture to the outside of the Blackstone crab cakes, especially when shallow fried on the griddle.
Crab Cake Sauce Options
You have a few sauce options for crab cakes. You can go with a store-bought sauce like tartar sauce or a lemon aioli, or you can make a simple blender hollandaise sauce like I did. If you want to try the hollandaise, you will need:
- egg yolks
- lemon juice
- dijon mustard
- unsalted butter
- Old Bay seasoning and/or cayenne pepper – These are optional but add a nice punch of flavor that compliments the griddle crab cakes.
- hot sauce – Also optional.
- salt
How to Make Crab Cakes on the Blackstone
These griddle crab cakes are super easy to make, but if you don’t have a Blackstone or other flat top grill, you can definitely cook these homemade crab cakes inside in a skillet on the stovetop. Here’s how to make them:
Preparing the Crab Cake Mixture
The first step to making Blackstone crab cakes is to prepare the crab cake mixture. To start, you’ll want to strain the lump crab meat to remove any excess moisture. If your crab cakes are too moist, they’ll be more prone to falling apart as you’re cooking them on the Blackstone grill.
As you’re straining the crab meat, use a fork to lightly separate the lumps and look for any shells or cartilage that may be mixed in. Just be careful… You paid for the lump crab meat, so you don’t want to break the lumps apart too much.
As the meat it straining in the strainer, go ahead and make the base of the crab cake mixture. In a separate bowl, combine mayonnaise, egg, Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, lemon juice, a few dashes of hot sauce, some Old Bay seasoning, and salt and pepper.
Then, crush up some Club crackers in a Ziploc bag and add the cracker crumbs to the bowl with the other ingredients. You don’t need to completely pulverize the crackers to a breadcrumb consistency. I actually prefer the mix to have a little bit of a chunky texture like this:
Then mix all of the ingredients (besides the crab) together to create the binder. You want to mix this first before you add your crab meat, because once you add the crab, it’s more of a fold method, and you want to make sure all of these ingredients are incorporated first. This mixture will be the “glue” that holds your crab cakes together.
Then, gently fold in the lump crab meat until it’s nicely incorporated but NOT over-mixed like this:
Forming the Crab Cake Mixture into Patties
Next, it’s time to form the crab cakes into thick patties. To do this, I recommend using a silicone egg mold like the one in the photo below to perfectly shape the crab cakes so that they all cook evenly on the griddle.
You can spread a very thin layer of panko crumbs in the bottom of the egg mold, press in the crab cake mixture, and sprinkle the top with another even, thin layer of panko. Then remove the egg mold and repeat the process until all of the crab cakes are formed. For 16 ounces of lump crab meat, you should be able to get 6 nice-sized crab cakes.
Egg Molds – NOT Just for Eggs
I believe in getting extra mileage out of your kitchen tools, and silicone egg molds are no different. We’ve used our silicone rings to make our hashbrown casserole griddle cakes, souffle pancakes, and mini meatloaf patties. These molds are perfect to use as a guide for equal portions.
And don’t skip the panko breadcrumbs! We LOVE the nice crispy texture on the outside of the crab cakes thanks to the panko.
After all of the crab cakes are formed, put them in the fridge for about 20 minutes to help the binder set up. This step is crucial, and it will help your cakes stay together on the griddle as they’re cooking.
Cooking the Crab Cakes on the Blackstone
Next, it’s time to cook them on the griddle (or in a skillet).
Just add a bit of avocado oil or your favorite cooking oil to the heated griddle, and begin to “shallow fry” the cakes. Gently place the crab cakes in the oil like this:
Let them cook on the first side without touching them… In fact, the less that you handle the crab cakes the better, because they are delicate and you don’t want them to fall apart.
After about 5-7 minutes depending on the temperature of your griddle, CAREFULLY flip the crab cakes to the second side and continue to cook them. Here’s what your griddle crab cakes should look like:
Once your crab cakes are crispy and golden brown, they’re ready to serve!
CHEF’S TIP: This dish is a bit complicated in terms of timing everything just right, especially if you’re making other griddle side dishes or a Hollandaise sauce to go with your crab cakes. So don’t be scared to use your oven! You can put your oven on low and place your crab cakes or side dish in there to keep them warm while other items are cooking.
Making a Simple Blender Hollandaise
This easy blender Hollandaise sauce is like a “cheat code” for the intimidating emulsification. Instead of setting up a double boiler and getting the temperature of your ingredients just right so your sauce doesn’t separate, you can just add everything to a blender cup. The taste is just as good as the real thing, and this Hollandaise is a perfect compliment to the griddle crab cakes.
Especially with a griddle “poached” egg and a toasted English muffin for a Crab Cake Benedict:
Start by melting 1/2 cup (one stick) of butter in a small saucepan on the griddle. Then, add the hot butter to a blender cup with three egg yolks, one tablespoon of lemon juice (roughly a quarter of a lemon), a pinch of Old Bay seasoning, a teaspoon of dijon mustard, and a couple dashes of hot sauce or a small pinch of red pepper flakes.
When you’re making a blender Hollandaise, you’re actually supposed to slowly pour in the melted butter as the blender is going so that the eggs don’t curdle, but I was using a single-serve blender cup instead of an open top blender. I’ve found that as long as your butter is not extremely hot, then you’re good to go and you can just blend it all at once.
Just blend for about 20 seconds, and you’ll have a nice creamy smooth hollandaise sauce… perfect for your crab cakes, asparagus, or an Eggs Benedict.
Other Ideas for Serving Homemade Crab Cakes
- Make a Crab Cake Benedict. Butter and toast half of an English muffin on the griddle, top with a crab cake and an over easy or poached egg, and drizzle on some of the easy blender Hollandaise sauce for a fantastic fancy griddle breakfast!
- Turn your crab cakes into a sandwich. Add some bibb lettuce, fresh sliced tomato, and a good brioche bun for a delicious sandwich, or try a hoagie-style roll for a crab cake po’boy.
- Try this same method with a different seafood. We’ve made similar seafood cakes with canned tuna and salmon as well.
- Add some sautéed diced bell pepper to the crab cake mixture. I prefer leaving the peppers out of the mix, but you can stretch your dollar by adding some sauteed red or green bell pepper into the crab cake mixture.
Griddle Crab Cakes Recipe
Want to add this easy crab cake recipe to your Blackstone griddle recipes binder? You can print the recipe card down below:
Crab Cakes on the Griddle
Ingredients
- 16 ounces lump crab meat
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 large egg
- 2 dashes hot sauce
- ¾ cup crushed crackers (like Club crackers or Ritz crackers)
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- about 3 tablespoons butter and ¼ cup oil (to shallow fry the crab cakes)
For the Blender Hollandaise Sauce:
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- pinch of salt
- pinch of Old Bay seasoning and/or cayenne pepper optional
- 1-2 dashes hot sauce optional
Instructions
- Strain the lump crab meat in a strainer. As it is straining, lightly pick through and separate the lumps to remove any shell or cartilage that may be mixed in. *Be gentle to keep the lumps in tact.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, egg, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, hot sauce, Old Bay seasoning, cracker crumbs, and salt and pepper. Mix together until well combined.
- Gently fold in the strained lump crab meat, taking care to keep the crab meat lumps in tact.
- Form the crab cake mixture into 6 equally sized cakes. Then lightly coat the top and bottom of each cake with a thin even layer of panko breadcrumbs. *I recommend placing a thin, even layer of panko breadcrumbs in the bottom of a silicone ring egg mold, then gently pressing the crab cake mixture into the mold. Lightly coat the top of the crab cake with a thin layer of panko, and then carefully remove the silicone ring mold.
- Place the crab cakes on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. This helps the ingredients come together and prevents the crab cakes from falling apart during cooking.
- While the crab cakes are refrigerating, heat the griddle until it reaches about 375 degrees F.
- Add about 3 tablespoons of butter and ¼ cup of your favorite cooking oil to the heated griddle surface and spread it around a bit with your spatula. Gently place the refrigerated crab cakes in the oil/butter and begin to shallow fry. *You can use your spatula or scraper to scrape the excess oil towards the crab cakes if needed. Allow the crab cakes to fry on the first side for about 5-7 minutes, or until light golden brown. Then, carefully flip the cakes to the second side and continue to cook an additional 4-5 minutes.
- Transfer the crab cakes to a baking sheet and keep in the oven on warm while you are making the blender Hollandaise. Or alternatively, serve the crab cakes immediately with tartar sauce or your favorite toppings.
For the Blender Hollandaise:
- Melt ½ cup of butter (one stick) in a small saucepan until hot and completely melted.
- In a blender cup, add egg yolks, lemon juice, dijon mustard, a pinch of Old Bay seasoning and/or cayenne pepper, a dash of hot sauce, and a pinch of salt. Blend together for about 5 seconds.
- With the blender on, open the plug in the lid and slowly pour in the hot melted butter. After about 10-15 seconds, the sauce should be thick and smooth. Serve immediately.
These crab cakes are the best. My husband grilled them on his flat top. This recipe is so good. These crab cakes are seasoned perfectly. I used gluten free crackers and crumbs and they were so so good. I made the patties by hand. I don’t have a ring. I recommend this recipe.
Thanks so much Laurie! Glad you loved the crab cakes – thinking about doing some salmon cakes next!
Oh my goodness! That looks beyond tasty wonderfulness!!!