Virginia Style Crab Cakes

These Virginia Style Crab Cakes are perfect for every meal of the day. I love to have them for Saturday night dinner along side of grilled asparagus. I make a pound of crab cakes so I can serve one under eggs for a delicious Sunday Brunch AND on top of a salad or a bed of couscous for a quick lunch on Monday! This is my secret recipe. I never thought I would share it and here I am posting it on my BLOG! Little did I know, perfecting this recipe over the years, that it would fit perfectly into my Mediterranean Diet way of eating.

Virginia Style Crab cakes recipes are plentiful on the internet with many claiming to be the best. I have eaten many of the “best recipes” and can say with certainty they are not. The Baja is a family owned restaurant nestled at the end of Sandbridge Beach. Sandbridge is a remote coastal community on the outer banks of the Eastern Shore. Working weekends at the Baja, it is here where my love for crab cakes was born. At the Baja, I was fortunate to have access to some of the best Virginia Style Crab Cakes anywhere (order them broiled not fried).

Who has the best Crab Cakes?

Since leaving Virginia, I had to develop my own delicious and healthy recipe. I truly believe this is one of the best crab cakes recipes anywhere. In fact, since mine are so tasty there is only one place in Florida that I will order crab cakes. At my Farmer’s Market here in Fort Pierce, at a booth called B-More Crabcakes. Simply Devine and ALL crab. Does this mean Maryland or Virginia has the best crab cakes? That is not an argument I will enter. What I will say is these have something in common with mine. What? We use fresh, quality ingredients – a pillar of the Mediterranean Diet. If you do not have access to superior crab cakes, I suggest you try whipping up these! Olive Sunshine may just well have the best crab cake recipe!

I rarely if ever see crab cakes on Mediterranean Diet sites, yet they are perfect to enjoy on this way of eating. In fact, I often include Virginia Style Crab Cakes when we are on a ‘diet on the diet’. (This is my Sweetheart’s name for picking all of the healthiest meals on the Mediterranean Diet to read more.) Fresh crab cakes, a couple of eggs, whole wheat bread crumbs are the basis of this delicious meal.

Are Crab Cakes Mediterranean Diet Compliant?

For my strictest Mediterranean Diet friends they may push back on two of the ingredients. To make these worthy of being called ‘Virginia-Style’, they must include Old Bay seasoning. Old Bay is a seasoning blend that includes salt. This is why I do not include salt in the recipe – relying instead on freshly squeezed lemons to kick up the flavor.

I also insist on including Worcestershire sauce. Strictly speaking, the last ingredient, natural flavors, is avoided on the Mediterranean Diet. There are several recipes on the internet for homemade Worcestershire and I am sure that is healthier. I decided to include this unique sauce in my recipe. Why? It is a VERY small quantity that makes a big impact in taste, and very little in health. I have made my Virginia Style Crab Cakes with and without this little splurge and prefer it with!

But don’t worry this recipe will not be full of mayonnaise and butter and many of the other fatty no-no’s you see as fillers in crab cakes. To be honest, I have not adjusted this recipe at all to accommodate this way of eating. Remember, this is a recipe I use when I am being my very healthiest (my diet on a diet) and I always lose weight and feel great! Olive Sunshine always takes great care to share any small deviation from the diet, staying within the basic guidelines, but full transparency for new learners.

Virginia Crab Cakes in Florida

My Florida friends LOVE my crab cakes. They think I am a chef wizard when I whip these up in minutes. I was hesitant to share my recipe with them. Once they see how easy it is to make they might not be so easily impressed. Let me know what you think!