Crab Cakes with Tomato Dill Sauce

Crab cakes done simply and well: a pound of flaked crab meat bound with soft bread crumbs, egg yolks, and a hit of dry mustard, shaped into patties and pan-fried until golden. No fillers, no heavy batter, just crab that actually tastes like crab.

Egg yolks (not whole eggs) are the binder here. They’re richer and hold the cakes together without adding the extra water content from whites that can make patties fall apart in the pan. Chilling the shaped patties for at least 2 ½ hours firms them up so they survive the flip without crumbling.

The tomato dill sauce is a cold mayo-based condiment with tomato paste and fresh chopped tomato stirred in. It’s tangy, herby, and pink, the ideal cool contrast to the hot, crispy crab cakes.

Chef Tips

• Pick through the crab meat carefully for cartilage and shell fragments. Nothing ruins a crab cake like biting down on a piece of shell.
• Use soft, fresh bread crumbs, not the dry ones from a canister. Fresh crumbs absorb moisture and create a more tender texture.
• Don’t press or flatten the patties while cooking. Compacting them squeezes out moisture and makes them dense.
• Five minutes total, flipping once, is enough. The cakes should be light golden, not dark brown.

Variations

• Add Old Bay seasoning to the crab mixture for a classic Chesapeake Bay flavor.
• Serve on toasted brioche buns with lettuce and the tomato dill sauce for crab cake sandwiches.
• Use the tomato dill sauce as a dip for fried shrimp or grilled fish as well.