Classic Crab Cakes Recipe (Old Bay Seasoning) - Home & Plate (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients in Old Bay crab cake mix? ›

BREAD CRUMBS (BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, DEXTROSE, SALT, AND YEAST), WHOLE EGG SOLIDS, SALT, SPICES (INCLUDING RED PEPPER AND PARSLEY), AND PAPRIKA.

If the goal is to deep-fry your crab cakes, then the answer is easy. You'll probably want to use a mild vegetable oil. Perhaps most importantly, butter's low smoke point makes it incompatible with the high-heat required for this technique. Another reason is simple -- the price.

Celery salt and paprika are two of the main ingredients in Old Bay seasoning. If you happen to have these spices in your cupboard, then you have a good substitute. When substituting, mix 1/4 teaspoon of celery salt with 1/4 teaspoon of paprika. Use this for every 1 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning.

Old Bay seasoning is an aromatic and savory blend of 18 spices that's used to season seafood including crab cakes, shrimp dishes and more. Old Bay can also be used on proteins such as poultry, beef and tofu, as well as vegetable-based dishes like these Maryland Boardwalk Fries or Old Bay Butternut Squash.

You can pan fry crab cakes in both oil and butter or either one. Butter adds flavor but refined olive oil, canola oil, ghee, and peanut oil have a higher smoke points. The best of both worlds is to use half butter and half oil.

Refrigerate Your Crab Cakes

There's actually a pretty easy fix for this common problem. Simply stick your crab cakes in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. The time they spend there will allow the crab cakes to solidify their shape.

I use a heavy-bottomed skillet with about 1/2″ of canola oil to fry them. Get your temperature to 350, then gently place 3 crab cakes in the skillet. After browning, gently turn them and continue to cook until evenly browned on all sides. Remove to a towel-lined plate, and repeat with the remaining cakes.

We all prefer Zatarain's boil over home mixes or Old Bay. It is spicy and infuses a lovely flavor in foods. I even add a little of the boiled water to gumbos and jambalayas as it enhances the spices I add myself.

Paprika and celery salt is a great substitute for Old Bay seasoning. To make your own Old Bay seasoning, mix together paprika and celery salt. You can use this blend to season seafood, meats, vegetables, soups, and stews.

With the exception of Celery Seed, chinese Five Spice or French Quatre Epices could both do a (slightly different) stand-in. Just add some paprika and red pepper powder to it. Originally Answered: What is a good substitute for Old Bay?

What is better than Old Bay Seasoning? ›

Cajun seasonings share several common herbs and spices with Old Bay seasoning — such as paprika, pepper, and celery salt. While the combination of ingredients is slightly different, cajun seasoning can effectively stand in as a substitute for Old Bay seasoning.

What's the Difference Between Old Bay and Cajun Seasoning? While the two include some of the same ingredients, this Old Bay replica uses more spices and has a bay leaf, celery salt, and mustard base. Cajun seasoning concentrates on paprika and is a little spicier because of the cayenne pepper.

Old Bay is a versatile savoury seasoning blend consisting of mixed spices, herbs and pepper that can be used before, during and after cooking. A bold blend of herbs & spices, this seasoning is perfect for enhancing any dish with its uniquely zesty flavour.

The bottom line

Imitation crab is a highly processed food made by combining minced fish with starch, egg whites, sugar, salt, and additives to mimic the flavor, color, and texture of real crab meat. While it's significantly less expensive than real crab, it's also less nutritious.

Ingredients: Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Sugar, Corn Syrup, Leavening (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate).

The Differences In Maryland Crab Cakes

For starters, they typically use more meat and less other filling compared to regular crab cakes. Of course, every recipe is different, but Maryland's versions really allow the crab meat to shine and only use enough fillers to hold the cakes together.

CRAB MEAT, SALT, WATER, MALTODEXTRIN, VEGETABLE OIL (CORN AND/OR CANOLA OIL), SUGAR, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, 2% OR LESS OF BUTTER (CREAM, LACTIC ACID), BUTTER (CREAM, SALT), NATURAL FLAVORS, YEAST EXTRACT, DISODIUM INOSINATE, BUTTERMILK POWDER, HYDROLYZED SOY AND CORN PROTEIN, WHEY, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, ONION POWDER, COD ...