Looking for a delicious sauce to enhance the sweet, satisfying flavor of a crisp, flaky crab cake? I’ve got you covered with this list of the best sauces for crab cakes recipes.
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I’m lucky to live in northern Virginia where I have easy access to Maryland blue crabs. I love eating them freshly steamed, but am also a big fan of a crispy, flaky crab cake.
My favorite crab cake recipe is this oven-baked Maryland crab cake recipe. As long as you start with fresh lump crab meat though, you don’t need to add much to a crab cake to make it amazing — just a few ingredients to help it hold its shape.
You can enhance the flavor of your crab cakes with fresh herbs and spices — dill, tarragon, parsley, thyme and Old Bay seasoning all work well with crab. A little salt can really enhance the flavor too.
I prefer to add flavor contrasts with different sauces so each person can tailor the flavor balance to their preference. Whether you like sweet, spicy, or tangy, or citrusy, you’ll find your perfect crab cake sauce below.
Remoulade Sauce
Remoulade sauce is a classic condiment that goes well with many dishes. But it’s an especially perfect pairing for crab cakes! This creamy, tangy sauce adds the perfect finishing touch to any crab cake dish.
This recipe is the perfect choice when you’re in the mood for a Louisiana-style remoulade. It’s made with paprika, cayenne pepper, and mustard, giving each spoonful of this creamy condiment a hit of flavor that’s sure to tantalize your taste buds. Plus, it pairs wonderfully with crab cakes!
Tartar Sauce
Tartar sauce is one of the best toppings for seafood in general and works especially well on crab cakes. With tartness from dill pickles and lemons plus a little bite from Dijon mustard, this tartar sauce is the ideal complement for the salty sweetness of crab cakes.
Crab Cake Sauce
This crab cake sauce from JZ Eats is a combination of remoulade and tartar sauce. It’s creamy, spicy, and tangy so you get the best of both sauces in one!
When you combine tartar sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice with some Old Bay seasoning you end up with a sauce that’s packed with bright flavors that pair really well with crab.
Dill Aioli
This dill aioli with mayo is the perfect complement to your favorite crab cakes. It’s light and refreshing flavor, combined with garlic and lemon, makes it a great option for seafood lovers.
Plus, this sauce only takes 5 minutes to make! Just whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl and it’s ready to serve.
Chipotle Sauce
If you like Tex-Mex flavors, you’ll love this chipotle sauce on your crab cakes. Made with mayo, sour cream, and chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, this creamy sauce is a flavorful topping or dip for crispy crab cakes.
Mango Puree
If you prefer the tropics to the southwest, you’ll enjoy this mango puree. It takes just minutes to puree the mango, a little oil, and some Asian red chili sauce into the perfect fruity topping for your crab cakes.
This is also a wonderful choice for anyone who likes sauce but wants one without a mayonnaise base.
Hollandaise Sauce
Think outside the box and serve up your crab cakes for breakfast! Served on an English muffin and topped with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce, you can transform crab cakes into a gourmet brunch dish.
Even better, if you follow this recipe from Well Seasoned Studio, you can whip up the hollandaise in your blender so you can serve up this impressive dish with minimal effort!
While we’re on the topic of expanding our idea of when and how to serve crab cakes, remember that they make a great appetizer! Just scale them down to bite-size portions and serve with a variety of sauces to please all your guests’ palates.
Store Bought Options
I don’t like to spend a lot of time preparing meals since I prefer to spend my time enjoying the food and the people I’m sharing it with. As a result, all of the recipes I’ve shared above are pretty simple.
If you prefer to be completely hands-off though when it comes to saucing up your crab cakes, here are a few good options:
- Louisiana Style Hot Sauce: This is all you need if you just want to add some heat
- Louisiana Remoulade Sauce: If you don’t want to make your own, this is a great alternative
- Lemon Herb Aioli: This one is made with all natural ingredients and is as close to homemade as you can get
- Tartar Sauce: This one is a little pricey, but worth it in my opinion. All-natural and full of flavor.
Multipurpose Sauces
The sauces above were all selected based on how well they pair with crab cakes, but that’s certainly not the only way to enjoy them! Most of them work really well with other seafood like shrimp or white fish.
They also work well on fried green tomatoes, as condiments for french fries, as dips for celery or carrots, and as sandwich toppings. A few of these are delicious on chicken too!
📋 Recipe
Simple Sauce for Crab Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to small bowl.
- Stir to combine.