Ultimate Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with Spicy Seafood Dipping Sauce

For Father’s Day dinner, I asked my hubby what he wanted for dinner.  Of course, he says whatever I feel like making. Ugh! I go on about how it’s Father’s Day and I want to cook for him whatever he’d like. I start offering up some suggestions, which, of course, were all fine with him.  We weren’t getting anywhere! Until I mention crab cakes…then his eyes lit up. Finally, a plan for Father’s Day dinner. So I run to the store for some crab and whip up a batch of my Ultimate Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with Spicy Seafood Dipping Sauce!!

Special Crab or Blue Crab Meat are the smaller pieces of meat from the body of the crab.  Jumbo Lump Crab or Claw Meat is from the front claws. The flavor is the same, but the texture is distinct.   I have found that only using Jumbo Lump Crab, requires you to add additional fillers in order for the patties to form and hold their shape.  Using the Special Crab meat as a “filler” you can use fewer breadcrumbs, eggs, and mayonnaise so that the glorious flavor of the crab comes shining through!

These tasty Jumbo Lump Crab Cake treasures are packed with delectable crab flavor and have an incredible texture since very little fillers are added.  They are light, flaky, and totally delish! And better yet, they are easy to make. Start by mincing ½ of a medium red onion, ½ of a red bell pepper and, ½ of a jalapeno pepper.  Saute the veggies in about 2 tsp of butter until slightly softened then, set aside and allow them to cool. Next, line a baking sheet with foil to save yourself a little clean up later on. 😉

Make the crab cake mixture by whisking together the egg, mayonnaise, Worcestershire, kosher salt, Old Bay, baking powder, and the Panko bread crumbs.  Measure a ½ cup of onion, red pepper, and jalapeno that you’ve cooled and add it to the mixture and thoroughly combine. You can save any veggies that are leftover to add to an omelet in the morning!

Now for the good stuff!  Open the Special Crab and pick through the meat to make sure there are no shells and place the meat in a colander to drain.  Do the same with the Jumbo Lump Crab (isn’t it luscious), taking care not to break up the lumps, add to the colander as well.

Add the crab meat to the mixture and mix very gently with your hands until it just comes together.  You should be able to form a loose patty at this point. Using a large scoop (3 tablespoons), measure out 6 patties.  Form the patties gently with your hands and place each on the foil-lined baking sheet.  The patties will be somewhat loose but will firm up a bit while resting in the fridge. Refrigerate these little beauties for 2-4 hours.

While your Ultimate Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes are resting comfortably in the fridge make the Spicy Seafood Dipping Sauce.  It’s also super easy and adds a little kick to the crab cakes. Simply combine the mayo, sriracha, Old Bay, salt and vinegar, and whisk.   Store in the fridge until it’s time to eat. Letting the sauce sit for a while will give the flavors time to marry.

When it’s time to get cooking, heat 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium to medium-high heat until they begin to bubble.  (This is my favorite Pampered Chef skillet, I’ll tell you about it later)

Carefully place the crab cakes in the hot butter and oil, and do not disturb them.  After 3 minutes check for brownness on the bottom of the crab cakes. If needed, cook for another minute or so until they are nicely browned.  The crispy texture of the crust and the amazing texture of the Jumbo Lump Crab…oh boy…what a special treat!

Once the bottom side is brown, carefully flip the crab cakes and cook until the other side is browned, another 3-4 minutes.  Add additional olive oil if needed. You might get a crab cake that crumbles a little around the edges, and that’s ok! We’d rather have them do that than add more fillers!   Just look at how light, flaky, and delicious they are! I hope you give them a try and enjoy them as much as we do!

This 12″ Stainless Steel Nonstick Skillet is so my fave….aside from Cast Iron of course.  You get the best of both worlds with this baby.  It has all of those little dots of stainless which provide the browning.  Just look at how lovely and browned my Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes turned out.  And the nonstick coating makes for easy cleanup.  I just love it.  It’s a little pricey, but it’s a perfect item to order when you’re having a Pampered Chef Party and can get it for 50-60% off!