How to Make Crab Cakes

Crab cakes aren't a way to hide bland or watery crab. In the best cakes, the sweet, clean flavor of the seafood shines.

The binder plays a big role. Breadcrumbs and egg should bind the seafood lumps in a nice patty that holds its shape and crisps nicely. Too much binder yields those dry, dense cakes we've all encountered. Too little, and everything falls apart in the pan. Here we've nailed the filler-to-seafood ratio and perfected a shaping method. These cakes are so tasty, they don't even need sauce: A simple squeeze of lemon or lime does the trick. –Christine Burns Rudalevige