Spicy Mango Crab Cakes
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What I Love About My Spicy Mango Crab Cakes
The mango’s sweetness plays against a spicy cream sauce. That contrast is what makes this one of my favorite ways to turn fresh crab into a full dinner.
- You get real crab flavor in every bite, since I keep the filler light and let the crab lead.
- The sauce is a great sweet, spicy and creamy balance to the crab and mango!
- Fresh mango does double duty here. I dice some into the crab cake mixture for sweetness and fold more into the sauce for a bright burst of fruity sweetness.
- Dinner comes together in less than an hour, so this is an easy one for a weeknight or weekends.
- You can control the heat easily. I start with a small amount of cayenne and add more to taste.
Key Ingredient Notes
- Crab meat – I use lump crab meat or claw crab meat are both good depending on your price point. Look for fresh, refrigerated crab meat rather than the shelf-stable canned kind for the best texture. For more on the different crab grades, see the crab section in my best crab cakes recipe.
- Mango – Pick a mango that gives slightly under gentle pressure. A firmer mango won’t be sweet enough and too tough to mix well with the crab cake mixture. Overripe mango would add too much liquid.
- Cayenne pepper – This is where the heat comes from, in both the crab cakes and the sauce. Start on the lower end if you’re not sure how much spice you want, since it’s easy to add more later but hard to take away.
- Worcestershire sauce – A small amount adds savory depth without tasting like Worcestershire on its own, and it rounds out the sweetness from the mango.
- Dijon mustard – Gives the sauce a little sharpness that balances the mayo and sour cream. Regular yellow mustard doesn’t have the same flavor, so I use Dijon specifically here.
- Sour cream – This adds tang to the sauce and balances the mayo, so the sauce doesn’t feel heavy.
- Bread crumbs – These bind the crab cake mixture without weighing it down. Panko works best instead of standard bread crumbs if you want an even lighter texture.
How to Make Spicy Mango Crab Cakes
- Mix the crab cake ingredients. Combine the crab meat, bread crumbs, parsley, diced mango, egg, mayo, lemon zest, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl. Fold everything together gently with a spatula until just combined.
- PRO TIP: I like to leave some of the crab meat in bigger chunks instead of breaking it all up. It gives the cakes better texture and more visible crab in every bite.
- Shape the patties. Divide the mixture into 4 large patties or 6 smaller ones, pressing just enough to hold their shape.
- Chill before cooking. Cover and refrigerate the patties for at least 30 minutes. I find this firms up the mixture and helps the crab cakes hold together once they’re in the pan.
- Heat the pan. Preheat a skillet over medium heat and add a couple tablespoons of vegetable, avocado or canola oil.
- Cook the crab cakes. Add the patties to the hot oil and cook until golden brown on each side. This takes about 5 to 7 minutes per side for larger patties, a bit less for smaller ones. Leave them alone while they cook, since moving them around is what tends to break them apart.
- Make the sauce. While the crab cakes cook, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, Dijon mustard, parsley, diced mango, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and cayenne in a small bowl until smooth.
- Serve. Spoon the sauce over the crab cakes and top with any extra diced mango you have left over.
How to Know When the Crab Cakes Are Done
Crab cakes are ready when they’re golden brown on both sides and feel firm, not squishy, at the center. Since this recipe mixes raw egg into the crab meat, I check that the center reaches 165°F with an instant-read thermometer, a habit that comes from my food safety training. Without a thermometer, look for deep golden color on both sides and a center that feels firm and set, not soft.
Ways to Serve Mango Crab Cakes
- Over coconut rice – The rice soaks up the extra sauce, and its subtle sweetness plays well with the mango.
- With a bright salad – A simple green salad tossed in shallot vinaigrette keeps the plate light next to the rich crab cakes.
- Alongside creamy corn salad – Its sweetness echoes the mango, and the cool, creamy texture is a nice contrast to the warm crab cakes.
- As a sandwich – Tuck one onto a soft brioche bun with lettuce and a spoonful of the sauce…wow!
- With Italian grilled vegetables – The charred zucchini, squash, and peppers round out the plate for a full dinner.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat Spicy Mango Crab Cakes
- Make Ahead: shape the patties and keep them covered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before cooking. You can also make the sauce a day ahead. Give it a quick stir before serving, since the diced mango can release a little liquid as it sits.
- Store: in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Keep the sauce in a separate container so the crab cakes don’t get soggy. If stacking crab cakes, I recommend placing parchment paper squares in between so they don’t stick together.
- Freeze: shape the patties and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, uncooked. Freeze until firm, about 2 hours, then wrap each one individually and transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 to 3 months, then thaw overnight in the refrigerator before cooking as the recipe describes.
- Reheat: in a skillet over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes on each side, just until warmed through. I don’t recommend using the microwave for crab cakes. You can also use air-fryer at 360F for 3-5 minutes.
Spicy Mango Crab Cakes Recipe FAQs
Doubling the ingredients gives you more crab cakes without changing the time each batch takes to cook. You will be shaping the same size patties and that is what affects to cook time, the thickness of the patties. I don’t recommend shaping the patties larger since bigger patties are more likely to fall apart in the pan.
This usually comes down to handling and timing more than the recipe itself. Chilling the patties before cooking firms up the mixture. Leaving them undisturbed until it’s time to flip also helps, since the bottom needs time to form a crust first.
It does, though the flavor and texture will be completely different than real crab meat. Chop it finely and pat it dry first, since imitation crab holds extra moisture that can make the mixture too wet.
Not very, as written. The cayenne is meant to add background warmth against the sweet mango, and you can leave it out entirely or add more depending on your own tolerance.
Baking works well if you’d rather skip the stovetop. I haven’t tested the exact timing for this specific recipe, but based on the size of these patties, starting at 425°F for 15 to 20 minutes on a parchment-lined baking sheet, flipping halfway through, is a good starting point. Watch them toward the end, since bake time shifts with patty thickness. Just note, the texture of baked crab cakes does differ from pan-seared, and you don’t get the golden crust.
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Spicy Mango Crab Cakes Recipe
Ingredients
Crab Cakes:
- 1 lb lump or claw crab meat
- 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup finely diced mango
- 1 egg
- 3 Tbsp mayo
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- About 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper depending on how much heat you want
- Salt
Sauce:
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp minced parsley
- 1/4 cup finely diced mango
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp white granulated sugar
- Salt
- Pinch cayenne
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for crab cakes in a mixing bowl. Using a spatula, fold all ingredients together until completely incorporated.
- Shape crab cake mixture into 4 crab cake patties. (You can make smaller portions and shape the mixture into 6 patties.) Tip: larger are more impressive for dinner and work better on sandwiches but smaller are easier to handle. Larger take a little longer to cook than smaller as well.
- Cover and refrigerate the patties for at least 30 minutes. It firms up the mixture and helps the crab cakes hold together better while cooking.
- Preheat a cooking pan over medium heat. Add a couple of tablespoons of cooking oil.
- Cook crab cake patties until golden brown on each side, for 5-7 minutes on each side. Touch the center to make sure it's firm and set and not still squishy. Take off heat.
Sauce:
- Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl until smooth and completely incorporated.
- You can top off the crab cakes with leftover mango if you had any left.
Notes
- Regular breadcrumbs work fine, but panko gives a slightly lighter texture if you have it on hand.
- Use gluten-free bread crumbs to make this recipe gluten free; the rest of the ingredients are already gluten free.
- Store in the refrigerator, covered air-tight, for 3-4 days. Place parchment paper in between if stacking.
Nutrition
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Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
What if I want to double the recipe? Same time? Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Timothy!
Doubling the recipe will produce more crab cakes but won’t change cook time. You can use two pans at once if you want. Cook time will only change if you make them bigger but I wouldn’t recommend that because they might fall apart on you from being too big.
Hi Lyuba, this would be a great addition to the stone fruit heme over at Food on Friday (which is on right now). Each month there are 3 different themes plus a Potluck – so you should always be able to share something. If you would like to join in the fun on a regular basis please schedule a reminder for the second Friday of each month (NZ time). Cheers from Carole’s Chatter
Thank you for the invitation, Carole! I’ll make sure to stop by!
These look incredible! So many people (and restaurant chefs) make dry, overly bready crab cakes and I find them so unappealing. I can tell yours are nice and moist. I can only get canned crab, or the fake kind, blech, where I lives, so you seriously are lucky! Love the sauce too.
That means so much! Thank you, Mimi.