Crab cake eggs Benedict is a luxurious, elegant dish that makes a delicious breakfast or brunch for any special occasion! Thick and meaty crab cakes are topped with a perfectly poached egg and a simple, lemon-y hollandaise sauce.
Even better, these delicious crab cakes include shrimp and savory add-ins plus zero mayonnaise, so you know each bite is seafood bliss!
Traditional eggs Benedict has got to be one of our favorite brunch menu items and thankfully, it’s not too challenging to make this classic dish at home!
We’ve shared Eggs Benedict with White Truffle Sauce as well as our Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict, a yummy seafood version. But this crab cake eggs Benedict is our latest obsession and it will level up your homemade eggs Benedict game!
Tender Dungeness meat, a crispy Panko coating, and loads of fresh herbs create a thick and meaty crab cake that’s so good on its own. Of course, it’s made even better served on a toasted English muffin with a poached egg and creamy hollandaise on top.
This dish works for Christmas morning, New Year’s brunch or Mother’s Day. In fact, it’s so flavor-packed and impressive that it’s a special occasion in its own right!
Why This Crab Cake Benedict Recipe Works
Crab cake Benedict is a lot more simple to make at home than you might think.
The seafood base comes together easily, and what’s even better is that our rich hollandaise sauce is made in a saucepan with an immersion blender which gives you a super quick emulsion. You can read more about the method here in our full recipe post for Immersion Blender Hollandaise.
The end result is an elevated, Sunday brunch recipe that is sure to impress!
Here’s why you’ll love our crab cake Benedict recipe:
- The crab cakes are packed with delicious seafood, including lump crab meat and juicy shrimp- there’s no skimping on the good stuff in this version of seafood eggs Benny!
- This brunch favorite makes the perfect meal for special occasions or Sunday mornings.
- It’s a delicious seafood spin on traditional Eggs Benedict that will have you going back for seconds.
Ingredients For Egg Benedict with Crab Cake
To make these crab cakes eggs Benedict, you will need the following main ingredients (see the recipe card to view the full list and ingredient amounts):
- Shrimp. Cleaned and deveined, the shrimp is chopped finely in the food processor and adds another meaty seafood element.
- Eggs. To help bind the cakes and keep all that goodness together! You will also need several more additional eggs for poaching and to create the creamy hollandaise sauce.
- Dungeness crab meat. We like to use Dungeness but this recipe works with any other crab meat. Just make sure the cartilage is removed.
- Veggies. Diced red bell pepper and celery adds a savory flavor.
- Fresh herbs. The crab cakes call for fresh chives and fresh dill but you can used dried herbs if desired.
- Old Bay Seasoning. This seasoning blend is commonly used in seafood dishes because of its sweet, spicy and savory flavor profile.
- Panko breadcrumbs. For a little crunch on the outside of each crab cake. Panko breadcrumbs also means that these crab cakes are completely gluten free!
- Butter. Butter is a must when making a rich, homemade hollandaise sauce!
- Lemon juice. Adds a light, tangy, lemon flavor to the hollandaise.
- English muffins. We’re keeping the classic English muffin base that’s a favorite in traditional eggs Benny.
Crab Eggs Benedict Recipe Highlights
This recipe contains a few different steps which we’re outlining below to help you get a good idea of the process.
Be sure to check out the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all of the details!
Prepare the Cakes
In a food processor or blender, pulse the shrimp and one egg. With the motor running, drizzle in the cream and process.
Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the seafood, bell peppers, celery, chives, dill and 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning.
Set four 3-inch ring molds on a prepared sheet pan and scoop and press the mixture into each mold. You can also shape these by hand, if preferred.
Whisk an egg in one small dish and in another, add the Panko bread crumbs.
Remove the ring molds and dip a crab cake into the egg mixture, then coat with the bread crumbs. Transfer them to the fridge while you prepare the hollandaise.
Make Hollandaise Sauce
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter until hot. Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, Tabasco sauce and salt to a large-rimmed mason jar.
Place the immersion blender in the jar and blend for a second. With the motor running, slowly pour the hot melted butter into the jar and blend until smooth. Place the jar in a pan of hot water so it stays warm until needed.
Cook the Crabcake Patties
Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the crab cakes for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown.
Poach Eggs
While the crab cakes cook, heat a large saucepan of water and 1 tablespoon salt over medium-high until small bubbles appear on the sides and bottom.
Break the eggs, one at a time, into a fine-mesh strainer. Swirl the egg around to let watery liquid drain off. Transfer each egg into a small ramekin. Tip each egg into the simmering water and poach for 3-4 minutes.
Assemble the Seafood Benedict
To serve, toast the English muffins and place a half on each of four plates.
Add a tablespoon of hollandaise sauce to each muffin, along with a crab cake. Add 2 tablespoons of warm hollandaise on top of the crab cake.
Garnish with fresh-ground pepper, extra Old Bay seasoning and a sprinkle of snipped chives.
Tips for the Best Results
- Use whatever type of crab cake you prefer. We used Dungeness but any variety of fresh or canned lump crab meat will work great. Keep in mind that fresh crab will always give you the best results!
- The mixture of shrimp, egg and cream serves as a binder for the crab cakes. Feel free to substitute shrimp with scallops.
- Chilling the Panko-coated crab cakes will set the bread crumbs and help them to firm up before pan-frying the crab cakes.
- You can easily prepare the crab cakes in advance, up to a day before you’re ready to cook them. Store them in the fridge.
- Removing the watery part of the raw egg in a mesh strainer will keep the poached eggs tight. It also helps prevent your poaching water from getting that cloudy film on top. A slotted spoon works best for removing each poached egg from the boiling water once they’re done cooking.
Storage Suggestions
- This recipe makes four servings which shouldn’t leave you with leftovers. However, if you do have extra, store any leftover crab cakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- Any leftover hollandaise sauce may be kept up to three days, refrigerated, in a covered container. Reheat in a pan of warm water, stirring occasionally as it warms, then blitz it with the immersion/stick blender.
- We don’t recommend storing leftover poached eggs. They’re best served fresh (and you really want that runny yolk!).
Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love:
- Ham and Cheese Strata
- Crustless Spinach and Mushroom Quiche
- Wild Alaskan Smoked Salmon Chowder
- Crab and Shrimp Stuffed Salmon
- Alaskan King Crab Cakes
- Hot Crab Dip
- Pan-Seared Salmon with Dill Hollandaise
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Crab Cake Eggs Benedict
Ingredients
For the Crab Cakes:
- 4 ounces shrimp cleaned and deveined
- 2 large eggs divided
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 pound cooked Dungeness crab meat or other crab meat, cartilage removed
- ¼ cup diced red bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons diced celery
- ¼ cup chopped fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning divided
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- Olive oil for frying
For the Hollandaise Sauce:
- 10 tablespoons butter
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Dash of Tabasco sauce optional
- Pinch of salt
To Assemble:
- 4 large eggs poached
- 2 English Muffins split in half and toasted
Instructions
For the Crab Cakes:
- Line a quarter-size sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a mini food processor (or blender) pulse the shrimp and one egg together just until the shrimp is well chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in the cream and process until smooth.
- Scrape the shrimp mixture into a medium size bowl. Stir in the crab, red bell pepper, celery chives, dill and ½ teaspoon of the Old Bay seasoning.
- Place 4, 3-inch ring molds on the prepared sheet pan and scoop the mixture into each mold, pressing down firmly. Alternatively, shape, by hand 4 equal portions of the mixture into cakes about 1-inch thick.
- In two separate dishes, break the remaining egg into one dish and whisk with a fork. In the second dish add the Panko bread crumbs.
- Remove the ring molds from the formed patties. Dip a crab cake into the egg mixture then coat with the bread crumbs. Place on the parchment paper and repeat with the remaining cakes.
- Transfer the pan of crumb-coated crab cakes to the refrigerator while preparing the Hollandaise sauce.
For the Hollandaise Sauce:
- In a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, melt the butter until very hot.
- Using a wide-mouth Mason pint jar, add the egg yolks, lemon juice, Tobacco sauce (if using) and a pinch of salt. Place the immersion blender in the jar and blend together briefly. With the motor running, slowly pour the hot melted butter into the jar and blend until smooth. Add additional tablespoons of lemon juice or hot water to thin to desired consistency. Set the jar in a pan of hot water to stay warm until needed.
Cook the Crab Cakes:
- Remove the seafood patties from the refrigerator. Add enough olive oil to a large non-stick skillet to coat the bottom and heat over medium heat.
- Add the crab cakes to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until a golden brown. Transfer to a plate and keep warm while poaching the eggs.
To Poach the Eggs:
- While the crab cakes are cooking, fill a large saucepan with 3-4 inches of water and 1 tablespoon of salt. The pan should be large enough to comfortably poach 4 eggs without crowding them.
- Heat the water on medium-high until small bubbles appear on the sides and bottom of the pan. Break the eggs, one at a time into a fine-mesh strainer, swirl the egg around allowing the watery liquid to drain off. Transfer the eggs into individual small custard dishes.
- Tip each egg into the simmering water and poach for 3-4 minutes until desired doneness.
Meanwhile:
- Toast the English muffins to a light golden brown and place a half on each of four plates. Add a tablespoon of hollandaise sauce to each muffin and add a crab cake.
- When the eggs are cooked, remove them one at a time with a slotted spoon, blotting the underside of the spoon to remove excess water and slide the egg onto the crab cake.
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of warm hollandaise sauce over each egg, add freshly ground pepper and a pinch of the reserved Old Bay seasoning then sprinkle with snipped chives. Serve immediately.
Notes
- We used Dungeness meat in our recipe but you can use whatever is available or canned lump crab meat. Fresh is always best!
- The mixture of shrimp, egg and cream serves as a binder for the crab cakes. The shrimp can be substituted with either additional crab or scallops.
- Chilling the Panko-coated crab cakes will “set” the bread crumbs and help to firm up them up.
- The crab cakes may be prepared in advance, up to a day before and refrigerated until ready to cook.
- This is a quick and fool-proof hollandaise sauce that takes less than 5 minutes to prepare. Keep the sauce warm in a pan of warm water (not hot) until ready to use.
- Any remaining hollandaise sauce may be kept up to 3-days, refrigerated, in a covered container. Reheat in a pan of warm water, stirring occasionally as it warms, then blitz it with the immersion/stick blender.
- Removing the watery portion of the egg in a mesh strainer will keep the poached eggs tight and free from developing a cloudy film on top of the water.
