Classic dishes never get old. Dishes like crab cakes, fried chicken, and potato salad will always be in the meal rotation somewhere. Choosing the perfect side dish for crab cakes is paramount to the success of the meal.
Unfortunately, some things don’t taste good together. You want a meal where most, if not all, of the food gets eaten. Leftovers are good the next day but may not freeze well for longer storage.
Here are some great side dishes to go with crab cakes to please your guests and make the cook happy with minimal leftovers.
Best Side Dishes for Crab Cakes
1. Herbed Potatoes
Making crab cakes tonight? Try pan-fried red potatoes with crispy skin. This recipe has few ingredients and is delicious.
You will need red potatoes, crumbled bacon, garlic, melted butter, dried parsley, tarragon, and chives.
The sweet, starchy potatoes and smoky bacon will pair perfectly with the saltiness of the crab cake.
2. Roasted Vegetables
A dish of seasonal, roasted vegetables is easy to prepare and bakes in the oven while preparing your crab cakes and the rest of the meal. It can be made the night before and reheated before serving.
Don’t worry if you don’t have Yukon Gold potatoes or if the store is out of them. Just use whatever you have on hand.
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Combine the vegetables and the oil, vinegar, and freshly ground black pepper on a baking dish and roast for 30 – 40 minutes at 475 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Corn Chowder Or Corn Soup
What vegetable goes well with crab cakes? Corn!
This recipe for corn chowder is a thick, hearty soup that will warm your insides on a cold night. It is creamy and chunky with bits of corn, red potatoes, bacon, and heavy cream. It’s a welcome sight when the weather outside is chilly.
A bowl of this with some crusty bread rolls and crab cakes is delicious and satisfying. It is an economical dish to make and can be made with fresh or frozen corn.
To take it to the next level, top it with bread crumbs and broil for a minute or two.
4. Gazpacho Soup
Gazpacho is a soup made with raw, blended vegetables like cucumber, bell pepper, red or Spanish onion, tomato, and jalapeno. It is typically served cold and makes a great summer accompaniment your crab cake.
The vegetables are pureed in a blender and can be served with ice in a cup if you like. Feel free to add salt and pepper for seasoning. Find the recipe here.
Need a bit of zing? Add a splash of lime juice.
5. Roasted Red Pepper Soup
This simple soup is delicious and easy to make. It’s best to make this ahead of time and then serve with your crab cakes.
The recipe calls for roasted red bell pepper, vegetable broth, butter, herbs, and half-and-half. The cooking time is only 20 minutes from start to finish so you can make this ahead of time and reheat it before the rest of the meal is done.
6. Seriously Good Homemade Coleslaw
This classic coleslaw recipe consists of shredded cabbage and carrots in a mayo-based dressing. You can use red or green cabbage or the bagged coleslaw mix for convenience.
This dish can also be made ahead and kept cold in the refrigerator until serving time.
7. Chickpea Salad
Chickpea Salad combines chickpeas, sweet tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, avocado, and red onion with a tangy oil and vinegar dressing.
This is a little different from the standard lettuce and tomato salads in that it doesn’t get soggy or wilt and stays good in the refrigerator as leftovers.
8. Southern Hoppin’ John
What do you serve with Maryland crab cakes? If you’ve never heard of Hoppin’ John, it is a side dish typically served in the south with black-eyed peas and rice with bacon, celery, green pepper, and onion.
The recipe is easy to throw together and is ready within a few minutes.
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It involves cooking the bacon and sauteing the onion, celery, and peppers in the bacon drippings. Then add the rice and liquid ingredients and cook for 10 minutes covered.
9. Corn Fritters
Corn fritters, or corn cakes, are made in a hot skillet like you would pancakes. These small fried cakes can include chopped vegetables like green onion, corn, and parsley.
Corn fritters and hushpuppies are similar, but each has its distinctions. Corn fritters use a pancake batter, and hushpuppies are made from cornmeal and may or may not have corn and jalapenos.
These are best pan-fried in a heavy cast-iron skillet heated to just the right temperature. They come out crispy and delicious.
10. Deep-fried Southern Hushpuppies
A hushpuppy is a little piece of deep-fried heaven. These are salty and filled with corn bits and onion.
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These are round balls of fried cornmeal dough and make the perfect side dish with all types of seafood. They are excellent with catfish and crab meat cakes.
The recipe is easy to follow. Just remember to fry the hushpuppies until they are golden brown for best results.
Final Thoughts
Crab cakes are a classic dish that is often served in seafood shacks and fine dining restaurants. Crab meat is versatile in that it can be used in a variety of dishes and goes well with many sides.
Whether you plan to have a sit-down dinner with fine china and the good silverware, or a down-home country buffet, this dish is sure to be a hit with your guests.
Sauces for Crab Cakes
- Remoulade – made with mayo, herbs, capers, and anchovies
- Garlic Aioli
- Cocktail sauce
- Horseradish sauce
- Tartar Sauce
Soups and salads are often the preferred options, but there are many more to choose from. Roasted vegetables, corn cakes, or coleslaw are filling and make great sides to serve with crab cakes.
We hope that these sides will inspire you to create a crab cake meal to remember all year long.
