A plate of crab cakes with lemon and ketchup.

Poor Man's Crab Cakes

07/12/2022 | By Cowboy Kent Rollins

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Howdy folks, and thank you for stopping by the website. Today I'm sharing a great recipe for what I like to call the Poor Man's Crab Cakes. Living in land-locked Southern Oklahoma, we do not always have access to fresh seafood without paying a pretty penny. Still, I love crab cakes and have found an excellent way to prepare real crab meat without breaking the bank. This recipe has all the flavor at a fraction of the cost.


We appreciate you sharing our recipes with your friends and family!

Seafood Seasoning

Many of you that grew up eating a lot of seafood are probably familiar with Old Bay seasoning. If you love it, and you have it around the house, go ahead and use it. If not, check out our printable recipe at the bottom of the site and make your own, adjusting for your own preferences. I reckon if you try my recipe you'll be pleased whether you've tried Old Bay or not.

Mix Wet and Dry Ingredients

I recommend Chicken of the Sea brand real white crab meat - none of that imitation crab. Who knows what's in those things? This comes minced in the can and is really good quality and easy to work with. Drain about 3/4 of the liquid out, and then mix it with the dry ingredients: the parsley flakes, green onion, and Italian style bread crumbs. You can use crackers or regular bread crumbs, but I like the Italian style because it adds more flavor.

In a separate bowl, mix up the wet ingredients - the egg, Duke's mayonnaise, mustard, W sauce, and Seafood Seasoning.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until you have a moist cake. Go on and get the oil pre-heated because it's time to fry 'em up.

Tip: If the mixture is runny, add more bread crumbs.

Using 1/4 cup of crab mixture, form into patties. This recipe makes about 10 cakes. Heat an inch or so of oil to 350 degrees F. Fry the patties 3-4 minutes per side. The cakes are done when golden on both sides. Cool and serve with tartar sauce, or for a cowboy twist, dip in our Cowboy Green Chile and Chipotle Chutney.

Tune in to our YouTube Channel every Wednesday at 2:30 CST for a new recipe! To receive updates on events, new content, and other news, please join our Newsletter list. We will never share your information or spam your inbox.

×

Categories

Print Recipe Pin

Poor Man's Crab Cakes - Cowboy Kent Rollins

Servings 10 crab cakes
Prep Time 5 Minutes
Total Time 20 Minutes
Author Cowboy Kent Rollins

Ingredients

    Seafood seasoning

  • ¾ tablespoon Kent Rollins’ Original Seasoning

    or all-purpose seasoning of your suiting
  • 2 teaspoon smoked paprika

  • 2 teaspoons white pepper

  • 2 teaspoons ground mustard

  • 2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 5 bay leaves

    crushed
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg

  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice

  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves

    • Crab Cakes

  • 8 ounce can white crab meat

    Chicken of the Sea brand preferred, partially drained
  • ½ to ¾ cup Italian bread crumbs

  • 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes

  • ¼ cup chopped green onions

  • ¼ cup dijon mustard

  • ¼ cup mayonnaise

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 ½ tablespoons Seafood Seasoning

    or store-bought seasoning such as Old Bay
  • Oil for frying

  • Ketchup, tartar or cocktail sauce for serving

    optional

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the Seafood Seasoning ingredients. Omit this step if using Old Bay or similar.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the crab meat, bread crumbs, parsley flakes, and green onion.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mustard, mayonnaise, egg, Worcestershire sauce, and 1 ½ tablespoons of the Seafood Seasoning blend or Old Bay.
  4. Add the egg mixture to the crab mixture and mix well. Add more breadcrumbs if the mixture is too wet.
  5. In a cast iron skillet, add about 1 inch of oil and preheat to 350 degrees F.
  6. Dip out about ¼ cup of the crab mixture and form into a patty with your hands. If the mixture is too wet to handle, add a few more breadcrumbs. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, per side, or until a rich golden brown. Place on a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm with sauce, if desired.
Copyright © Kent Rollins 2026 | Powered by Shopify