Seafood lovers and land lubbers alike know the delight of a dish of crab cakes. There are a number of different ways to compose and cook these crustacean-laden patties. Choosing whether to use real crabmeat, imitation, or a mix of the two is quite a lot to consider already. With regard to seasonings, breadcrumbs, vegetable inclusions, and dipping sauces, it’s a whirlwind of possibilities. Starting with a classic Maryland crab cakes recipe, there are a myriad of choices for complementary side dishes. Paring down these parings to a basic handful, consider cowboy caviar, potato salad, artichokes, broccoli salad, and grilled polenta.
When choosing side dishes for crab cakes, it’s important to remember that you don’t want your side dish to overpower the seafood stars of your table but rather to accentuate them. Considering that summer is the prime season for cooking crab cakes, lighter veggie fare is an excellent choice. Further, including more vegetable-rich recipes with similar flavors will enrich your crab cakes meal with wholesome nutrients while also keeping the tastes cohesive and enjoyable.
Cowboy caviar
Call it a dip, a salsa, or a salad, a veggie-rich cowboy caviar recipe makes the perfect companion to crab cakes. The mixture typically includes black beans and black eyed peas along with corn and chopped bell peppers often accented by a punch of red onion, jalapeños, and avocado. An ideal combination of nutrient-rich vegetables, the salad is characterized by its tangy dressing, which is what makes it an especially complementary side dish for crab cakes. Cowboy caviar dressing is usually made with a combination of seasoned rice vinegar or red wine vinegar and olive oil seasoned with garlic and other herbs and spices.
Much like using tartar sauce or remoulade as a dip for crab cakes, you want to serve a side dish that has enough zesty flavor as a counter to the seafood-rich cakes. Cowboy caviar as a side dish strikes a balance between briny seafood and a punch of bold flavor. If you’re a fan of using Old Bay seasoning for your crab cakes, try adding a mix of smoky paprika and savory garlic to your cowboy caviar for a complementary combination of seasonings.
Potato salad
Similar to the tangy taste of cowboy caviar, try pairing creamy dill potato salad with a dish of crispy crab cakes for a bright balance of flavor and texture. Like a remoulade or tartar sauce, a creamy herb-rich potato salad provides a tender bite with all of the zestiness in a complementary contrast to its crab cake counterpart. Typically made with skin-on red potatoes, this Southern staple salad is mixed with mayonnaise and sour cream as a base. Other ingredients include dried or fresh dill, chopped celery and onion, and the option to add chopped hard-boiled eggs as well. The tang of Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar brings everything together for a rich and delightful salad reminiscent of the summer season.
Between tender potatoes and a satisfying crunch from the celery and onions, there is a similar mouthfeel to that of a crab cake. Many basic crab cake recipes also use celery and onions in the mixture as well as mayonnaise and sour cream, providing a similar taste and texture to a potato salad with enough distance between the two to distinguish every bite. For more contrast in consistency from your potato salad side, be sure to thoroughly crisp up the outside of your crab cakes.
Artichokes
To give your crab cakes a bit more wholesome nutrition, pair them with your favorite grilled or roasted vegetables. Working around an aioli or remoulade-informed flavor profile, one especially great choice would be the humble and hearty artichoke. By either roasting your artichokes or preparing a grilled artichokes recipe, you can create a memorable side dish that plays off of the flavors already at work in your crab cakes while adding a fun, interactive element. Double your recipe for crab cake sauce and use it to dip both the cakes and the ‘chokes. The tenderness of your charred artichokes and the lovely vegetable flavors coming from the heart will make an excellent side for a dish of crab cakes.
You can also prepare an entirely vegan crab cake recipe using either artichoke hearts or hearts of palm that you’ve mixed with zucchini, chickpeas, and breadcrumbs before baking in the oven or frying in a pan on the stovetop. Adding a side of grilled artichokes into the mix further enhances the overall vegetable flavors while also adding a notably different texture from your vegan crab cake mix. Whether roasted or grilled and whether accompanying crab-laden crab cakes or vegan versions, this artichoke side is versatile, adaptable, and delicious.
Broccoli salad
Prepare the best broccoli salad recipe for a satisfying and nutritious pairing to your crab cakes, proving that crustaceans and cruciferous veggies have never looked better together. A refreshing mixture of bite-sized broccoli florets, dried cranberries or raisins, sunflower seeds, and bacon bits dressed with a combo of mayonnaise or Greek yogurt with apple cider or rice vinegar, this tangy salad brings great taste and craveable texture to the side of your crab cakes. Like grilled artichokes, adding a bit of greenery on the side of your crab cake dish will complete your meal with wholesome nutrients and complementary flavors.
Many Southern crab cake meals are served with a side of cole slaw or broccoli slaw, so this salad acts as an upgraded version of a basic slaw. You can change up the bacon bits for turkey bacon or fried mushroom chips to give a bit more crunch and lean protein. This meshes well with the flavors of your savory seafood cakes and allows you room to play with the overall taste profile by adding in other complementary herbs, spices, and seasonings to your salad.
Grilled polenta
If you’re already fond of the versatility of a simple polenta recipe, then try elevating it to new, crunchy heights. You can grill your polenta to make a cornmeal-rich side dish that rivals cornbread for the perfect pairing to your crab cakes. Similar to making polenta croutons to top an anchovy-filled Caesar salad, chunks of grilled polenta work perfectly to complement the seafood flavors in your crab cakes while adding a hint of sweetness to the mix. You can even turn grilled rounds of polenta into the ideal “buns” for open-faced crab cake sliders to really get the mixture of textures and flavors all in one ideal bite.
It’s ideal to start with store-bought prepared polenta for convenience. Use polenta that’s either still cold or at room temperature and be sure to preheat your pan on the stovetop to prevent the pieces from falling apart while grilling. Let the natural sweetness of the cornmeal shine through along with the charring to accentuate your crab cakes without overpowering the flavors.
