Go Back
A hero shot of Crab Cakes with Creamy Coleslaw in a brioche bun, served with potato chips and strawberries, ready to eat.

Homemade Crab Cakes with Creamy Coleslaw

Easy homemade crab cakes with a twist: lump crab mixed with Italian sausage, Anaheim pepper, celery, red onion, garlic, seafood seasoning and white wine, chilled, pan-fried in butter and served on toasted brioche with creamy red cabbage coleslaw.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 6 crab cakes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Anaheim pepper diced
  • 1 cup celery diced
  • 1/2 cup red onion diced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 8 oz Italian sausage mild or spicy
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons seafood seasoning such as Old Bay
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 pound lump crab meat fresh or canned, checked for shells
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 3 tablespoons butter for frying
  • 6 brioche buns or slider rolls toasted
  • creamy red cabbage coleslaw see the linked recipe

Method
 

  1. Dice the Anaheim pepper, celery and red onion.
  2. In a large sauté pan or cast iron skillet, cook the vegetables and sausage in the olive oil about 10 minutes until no pink remains.
  3. Add the garlic and seafood seasoning and cook 2 minutes more. Add the white wine and cook 4-6 minutes until the alcohol cooks off. Set aside to cool.
  4. Shred the crab into small chunks and add to the cooled sausage mixture with the beaten eggs and panko. Mix with your hands until it holds together when squeezed.
  5. Form into balls, place on a cookie sheet and pat flat (about 12 slider-size or 6 larger). Refrigerate at least 1 hour so they bind; skip this and they will fall apart.
  6. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet and cook the crab cakes 2-3 minutes per side until golden, adding another tablespoon of butter when you flip.
  7. Toast the buns in the same pan, add a crab cake and pile on creamy coleslaw.

Notes

The seafood-seasoned coleslaw cools the heat of the sausage and pepper. Keep the patties small for crab cake sliders at a party.