Nothing beats this Crab Cake Benedict recipe! From a seasoned and flavorful crab cake to a perfectly poached egg and homemade hollandaise sauce, this dish can impress any guest and will become the most requested breakfast recipe in your home!
Looking for more legendary breakfast recipes? Try my Huevos Rancheros, Shrimp and Grits, or a Spinach and Bacon Quiche!
Why I love this recipe:
- Impressive – Crab Cakes Benedict takes my absolute favorite Crab Cakes and Eggs Benedict and combines them to make an incredible breakfast! This will impress any guest and quickly become the breakfast recipe everyone requests.
- Make Ahead – While this dish may look complicated, you won’t believe how simple it is, and you can prep the crab cakes the night before to make it a quick breakfast!
- Incredible – The explosion of flavors from the seasoned crab cake to the homemade hollandaise sauce compliment each other perfectly.
How to make Crab Cake Benedict:
Make Crab Cakes Mixture: In a mixing bowl add the crab meat, bell peppers, one beaten egg, Old Bay seasoning, mayo, garlic, cilantro and salt and pepper. Gently stir just until blended. Refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to overnight.
Form Into Discs: Spoon about ⅓ cup of the mixture into your palm and flatten into a small disc, about 3 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the outsides of the crab cake patties with a tiny bit of cornstarch.
Coat Crab Cake: Beat egg in a shallow dish. Add the Panko bread crumbs to another dish. Dip each patty lightly in the beaten egg, and then coat them lightly with Panko bread crumbs.
Cook Crab Cakes: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the crab cakes and cook for about 3-4 minutes on one side, until golden brown on bottom. Gently flip to the other side and cook for another 3 minutes, or until golden. Remove to a plate.
Combine Hollandaise Sauce Ingredients: Melt the butter in a small saucepan. In a separate small bowl, beat the egg yolks. Mix in lemon juice, whipping cream, and salt and pepper.
Temper the Eggs: Add a small spoonful of the hot melted butter to the egg mixture and stir well. Repeat this process adding a spoonful at a time of hot butter to the egg mixture to temper them (slowly warm them without scrambling them).
Finish Hollandaise Sauce: Once the butter has been incorporated, pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Remove from heat and set aside. Stir well and add another splash of cream to thin, if needed.
Prepare Water: Fill a medium size pot with about 3 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce heat until it reaches a simmer. You should see small bubbles coming to the surface, but not rolling. Add a little splash of vinegar to the water (optional, but it will help the egg white come together).
Poach Egg: Crack one egg into a small measuring cup. Lower the egg into the simmer water, gently easing it out of the cup. Cook egg in simmering water for 3-5 minutes, depending on how soft you want your egg yolk. Remove the poached egg with a slotted spoon.
- It is not abnormal for a white foam to form on top of the water when poaching an egg. You can simple skim the foam off of the water with a spoon.
Assemble Crab Cake Benedict: Split English muffins in half and toast in toaster oven. Top each slice with a crab cake, and then a poached egg. Top with spoonful of hollandaise sauce. Garnish with chopped chives or parsley, if desired.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Form the crab cakes up to one day in advance, with or without the bread crumb coating. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.
I think hollandaise sauce is best served fresh, right when you’re ready to eat. However, you can make hollandaise sauce a day ahead of time. Refrigerate until ready to eat, and then reheat it for about 10-20 seconds in the microwave, adding a splash of milk or cream to thin it, if needed.
To Freeze: Formed crab cakes can be frozen (before or after cooking). Wrap each one in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe bag. Freeze up to 1 month. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight before re-toasting.
Recipe Variations:
- Base – Skip the english muffin and serve with a fried green tomato as the base, or a handful of fresh greens or arugula.
- Keto – Use crushed pork rings to form the crab cakes, instead of Panko. Omit the english muffin.
- Traditional Eggs Benedict.
- Eggs Florentine : serve with cooked spinach.
- More details for How to Poach an Egg perfectly.
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Recipe
Crab Cake Benedict
Ingredients
Crab Cakes:
- 1 pound fresh lump crab meat*
- 1/2 cup bell pepper , chopped (any color)
- 2 large eggs , divided
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro , chopped
- pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- panko bread crumbs
Hollandaise Sauce:
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice , or lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- salt and pepper , to taste
Benedict:
- 4 English muffins*
- 8 large eggs
- vinegar , just a splash
Instructions
Crab Cakes:
- Make crab cakes mixture: In a mixing bowl add the crab meat, bell peppers, one beaten egg, Old Bay seasoning, mayo, garlic, cilantro and salt and pepper. Gently stir just until blended. Refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to overnight.
- Form into discs: Beat the remaining egg and add to a shallow dish. Add the panko bread crumbs to another dish. Spoon about ⅓ cup of the mixture into your palm and flatten into a small disc, about 3 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the outsides of the crab cake patties with a tiny bit of cornstarch.
- Coat: Dip each patty lightly in the beaten egg, and then coat them lightly with panko bread crumbs
- Cook: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the crab cakes and cook for about 3-4 minutes on one side, until golden brown on bottom. Gently flip to the other side and cook for another 3 minutes, or until golden. Remove to a plate.
Hollandaise Sauce:
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan. In a separate small bowl, beat the egg yolks. Mix in lemon juice, whipping cream, and salt and pepper.
- Add a small spoonful of the hot melted butter to the egg mixture and stir well. Repeat this process adding a spoonful at a time of hot butter to the egg mixture to temper them (slowly warm them without scrambling them).
- Once the butter has been incorporated, pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Remove from heat and set aside. Stir well and add another splash of cream to thin, if needed.
To Poach the Eggs*:
- Fill a medium size pot with about 3 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce heat until it reaches a simmer. You should see small bubbles coming to the surface, but not rolling.
- Add a little splash of vinegar to the water. Crack one egg into a small measuring cup. Lower the egg into the simmer water, gently easing it out of the cup.
- Cook the egg in simmering water for 3-5 minutes, depending on how soft you want your egg yolk. Remove the poached egg with a slotted spoon.
- *It is not abnormal for a white foam to form on top of the water when poaching an egg. You can simple skim the foam off of the water with a spoon.
Assemble:
- Split English muffins in half (if using) and toast in toaster oven. Top each slice with a crab cake, and then a poached egg. Top with spoonful of hollandaise sauce. Garnish with chopped chives or parsley, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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Well worth the effort! We made the crab cake mixture the day before so it was really easy when breakfast came. Fantastic.
I was intrigued when I saw you post this recently. This is one of my all-time favorites, but I can’t find it often. I decided to make this on Sunday for my husband and he said, “That is one of the best things you have ever made!” These were restaurant quality and I love your instructions for poaching an egg. Absolutely delicious!