For a weeknight dinner that’s wholesome and fresh, try these homemade crab cakes with a green salad. In this recipe, I’ll show you how to make homemade crab cakes with both fresh and canned crab meat. But if you’re pushed for time, you can use store-bought crab cakes.

Paired with a salad made with mixed salad leaves, tomatoes, avocado, and a lemon vinaigrette, the zesty freshness of the salad compliments the crisp, flaky texture and rich, briny flavors of the crab cakes beautifully.

If you like easy weeknight meals try this smoked salmon salad or this salmon quinoa bowl.

Ingredients Needed

To make the crab cakes and salad, you’ll need the following:

For the Salad

Mixed Salad Leaves – 5oz (140 grams)
Tomatoes – 8 oz baby tomatoes
Avocado – 1 large avocado
Olive Oil – 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp lemon juice
Dijon Mustard – 1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt – a pinch of salt
Pepper – a pinch of ground black pepper
Parsley – 1 tbsp finely minced fresh parsley, optional
Lemon – lemon wedges to serve

If Making Homemade Crab Cakes

These ingredients make 4 small crab cakes (2 per portion if serving this for dinner). You could serve 1 per portion if you want a smaller meal for lunch or a lighter dinner.

Fresh crab meat (white) – 8 oz shredded crab meat (225 grams). See the note below if using canned crab meat or fresh lump crab meat.
Eggs – 1 medium egg
Mayo – 2 tbsp mayo
Mustard – 1 tsp Dijon mustard
Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp lemon juice
Lemon Zest – zest from 1 lemon
Garlic – 1 small garlic clove
Breadcrumbs – 1/3 cup of Panko breadcrumbs (don’t use regular breadcrumbs), plus more as needed (see note regarding canned crab meat as that will require more breadcrumbs).
Salt – a pinch of salt
Pepper – a pinch of ground black pepper
Green Onion – 1 small green onion (just the green part, optional)
Oil – 1 tbsp for pan-frying (light olive oil or sunflower oil)
Butter – 1 tbsp butter for pan-frying

Note 1: If using canned crab meat, make sure to drain the liquid first. And you’ll need to use more breadcrumbs as canned crab meat has more moisture. For fresh lump crab, you can reduce the breadcrumbs (about 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs) as that has less moisture and needs less binder.

Step-by-Step Instructions

For the Homemade Crab Cakes

Step 1. If using canned meat, make sure to drain the meat well. In the picture, you can see the fresh crab meat on the left and the canned one on the right.

Step 2. To a large bowl, add the raw egg, mayo, mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, minced garlic, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of black pepper and whisk until combined.

Step 3. Add the breadcrumbs, crab meat, and finely sliced green onions (if using them) to the mixture and gently fold with a spatula.

Step 4. First, test to see if the crab cake has enough breadcrumbs. Take a tablespoon of the mixutre and shape it into a small patty. See if it holds its shape well without cracking or crumbling. If not, add half a tablespoon of breadcrumbs at a time to the mix. Shape the mixture into 4 patties, place them on a plate sprinkled with some extra breadcrumbs (so the crab cakes don’t stick to the plate). Sprinkle some breadcrumbs on top and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (it will help keep their shape well when pan-frying). You can prepare everything for salad while waiting for the crab cakes to chill.

Step 5. To a frying pan, over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tbsp of butter. Once it’s melted, add the crab cakes gently and pan-fry on each side for 3-4 minutes until golden-brown and cooked through.

You can see both the fresh crab cakes and canned crab meat crab cakes below.

Making the Salad

Step 1. Combine the olive oil, dijon mustard, lemon juice, minced fresh parsley, salt, and pepper and whisk to make the dressing.

Step 2. Combine the washed and dried mixed leaves with the halved baby tomatoes, diced avocado (cut in half then diced and scooped), and salad dressing. Toss until everything is mixed well.

Step 3. Serve the salad with crab cakes on the side and lemon wedges.

This is a great choice for a quick weeknight meal and to bring more seafood into your weekly menu. If you make this dish and love it, let me know in a review below.

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