For Juicier Crab Cakes, Try Baking Them In The Oven

Nickelodeon's Spongebob Squarepants may have one of the animated foods that still makes us hungry. But who says you have to live in Bikini Bottom to enjoy some "crabby patties"? You can just go to your favorite seafood restaurant to get some delicious crab cakes. As a popular item on the roster of Maryland cuisine, crab cakes offer one of the absolute best scrumptious meat dishes to enjoy for lunch, dinner, or a snack.

You essentially get plump patties filled with mildly sweet crab meat that's typically bound by other ingredients to make the patties even more flavorful. Some of these include seasonings and sauces such as Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, and cayenne. Crab cakes also pair well with lots of great side dishes, such as making crab cakes with steamed asparagus. If you want to make your own special crab cakes at home, you can saute, deep fry, grill, or broil them. But if you want the most succulent crab cakes, you should bake them in the oven.

For those of you who would like some substantial servings, you'll likely opt for the really big crab cakes. When cooking larger crab cakes, the process of oven-baking them will help preserve their jumbo size, give them unbeatable texture, and keep them sufficiently moist. As a result, once your crab cakes are ready to serve fresh from the oven, they'll have a hearty, crunchy, and juicy taste in every bite. Just be sure to oven-bake your super big crab cakes properly to achieve those results.

Preheat your oven for about 15 minutes after setting it at 450 F. Heating your oven at this temperature will help make the texture of your crab cakes delectable. How? By oven-baking your crab cakes under this high amount of heat, the crust of your jumbo-sized crab cakes will become deliciously crispy. You can also use the ingredient tip for adding some extra crunch to your crab cakes.

Before you pop those crab cakes in the oven, put them on a nonstick baking sheet, and gently rub the outer layer of the crab cakes with vegetable oil. Bake your crab cakes for about 10 to 15 minutes, gently flip them, and lightly rub the other side of the crab cakes with vegetable oil. Let your crab cakes bake for at least 10 more minutes, or until they achieve an appetizing golden brown hue. Then those extra juicy pieces of jumbo crab-patty meat will be ready for you to chow down on. But if you want your crab cakes to be even more plump, then shrimp is the ingredient you need for a thicker crab cake. Oven-baking your crab cakes also provides additional benefits during the cooking process.

When you pan-fry crab cakes, such as the ones made with dill sauce, you may flatten them when using a spatula to achieve a nice sear on the outer layer and cook them thoroughly through the middle. This can cause your crab cakes to lose their deliciously plump shape by crumbling apart. However, oven-baking your crab cakes provides a hands-free approach that allows your appliance to fully cook your meat. This will ensure that crab cakes never lose their thickness or moisture.

You also run the risk of overcooking your crab cakes when you pan-fry them. But oven-baking your crab cakes allows you to monitor them carefully as they smoothly achieve the optimal amount of doneness. If you're making a whole bunch of crab cakes for yourself or others, baking them is also an efficient way to cook all of your crab cakes. And, of course, you now know that once they're hot and ready, those oven-baked crab cakes will also be so tender.