Perfect for summer, these easy lobster cakes are brimming with fresh lobster meat! A golden panko crust seals the deal on these seaside treats. Serve them as an appetizer or light lunch with a squeeze of lemon and a simple slaw or salad.
This is a sponsored post on behalf of Rizzoli New York. All opinions are my own and were not influenced by any parties.
Growing up in New England I have always enjoyed the accessibility to the shore. When summer rolls around, I gravitate to the sea, and in turn fill my menu with a myriad of seafood.
Somehow eating seafood in the summer simply feels appropriate. This is why clam shacks, lobster shacks, and chowder houses are popular in many coastal regions this time of year. Summer and seafood just go hand in hand.
That's why when I received a review copy of The Ladies' Village Improvement Society Cookbook from Rizzoli New York I immediately gravitated to the Lobster Cakes recipe. This native New Englander definitely shares a huge connection with a book featuring Long Island fare. A love of lobster is paramount in both locales.
The LVIS Cookbook Review
The book focuses on The Ladies' Village Improvement Society, or LVIS for short. For 125 years the LVIS has worked to preserve and celebrate the beauty of East Hampton, one of the most posh and beautiful areas of Long Island, New York.
The historical society aspect of the book also reminds me a lot of Newport, RI, famous for its Gilded Age mansions. As I perused through the cookbook, I envisioned similarities between the East Hampton society in the book, and the history of Newport, which I have learned through many many visits to its historical mansions.
Chic menus ranging from Lunch Around the Pool to Beach Picnic, Leaf-Raking Lunch to Feast by the Fire provide delectable recipes collected from area residents. During my time exploring the cookbook I actually tried out several recipes with great results.
Nana's Rum-Laced Brownies recipe is shared by Ralph and Ricky Lauren. These rich, cakey brownies are filled with walnuts and topped with a rum glaze. They are delicious, although I found they were not as rummy as advertised. Still quite good though!
Of course the luxurious Lobster Cakes were the highlight of my cooking adventures, so that's what I am sharing. Along with a simple Zucchini and Olive Slaw, slightly adapted from the version in the book, these Lobster Cakes are the perfect lunch for a hot summer day!
Ingredient notes
To yield 1 pound of lobster meat you will need about four 1 ¼ pound lobsters. Larger lobsters will obviously contain more meat. A live lobster will usually yield about 20 to 25% of its weight in meat. I made this recipe with 2 larger lobsters and yielded 12 ounces of meat.
If you don't want to cook your own lobsters, see if your seafood purveyor will steam them for you. Many of my local grocery store seafood counters will steam lobsters free of charge! I often take advantage of this so I don't have to cook/kill them myself.
How to make them
To begin, melt butter in a medium skillet and cook chopped scallions and garlic until fragrant (PHOTO 1). Stir in the lobster meat and chopped parsley (PHOTO 2).
Transfer lobster mixture to a bowl, and add Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, egg, hot sauce, and seasonings, mixing to combine (PHOTOS 3-4).
Then add panko bread crumbs (PHOTO 5) and combine until smooth (PHOTO 6). The mixture will seem a bit wet, but the panko will absorb the moisture as it sits. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
Next shape the mixture into cakes, and then dredge them in additional panko bread crumbs to coat.
Melt more butter in a nonstick skillet and cook the lobster cakes for about 3 minutes per side, or until golden on the outside and cooked on the inside.
Serve the cakes immediately with lemon wedges and a light salad or slaw on the side. You can also serve them with tartar sauce, Russian dressing, or lemon aioli. However, I really enjoy the lobster flavor in these lovely cakes without adding additional embellishments.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
There are so many delicious ways to enjoy lobster at the height of summer, and these easy to make lobster cakes are another great idea to add to your arsenal. You can also use these lobster cakes in place of crab cakes for a coastal Eggs Benedict variation.
You may easily reduce this recipe if you have less lobster meat. Halve the recipe if you only have 8 ounces meat. This will yield 3 cakes. Cut the recipe by ¾ if you have 12 ounces of meat. To do this simply multiply the ingredient values by .75, and yield about 4 slightly larger cakes.
To reduce the egg for either of the above scenarios, just beat the egg in a small bowl and measure out about ½ or ¾ of the egg depending on your needs. It doesn't have to be perfect! This isn't baking.
Alternatively, if you are short on lobster meat, you can substitute the remainder with other seafood like crab meat, chopped sea scallops, or diced cooked fish or shrimp.
Other seafood recipes you may like
- Maryland Style Old Bay Crab Cakes
- Crab Stuffed Shells with Orange-Scented Tomato Sauce
- New England Lobster Rolls
- Le Bernardin's Salmon Rillettes
- Crab Stuffed Zucchini Flowers with Black Truffles
- Union Square Cafe’s Spaghetti with Cod, Rapini, and Garlic
- Phyllo Wrapped Salmon with Lemon Horseradish Cream
- Browse all Fish & Seafood Recipes
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Lobster Cakes
Ingredients
- 3 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 scallions trimmed and finely chopped
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound fresh lobster meat cut into ½-inch dice
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- 1 large egg beaten
- Dash of hot sauce
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ¼ cups panko bread crumbs
- 6 lemon wedges for serving
- Tartar sauce, Russian dressing, or lemon aioli (optional for serving)
Instructions
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the scallions and garlic together until softened and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add the lobster meat and parsley, and stir just to combine. Remove from the heat and transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Stir in the mustard, mayonnaise, egg, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Add ¾ cup of the panko, and stir to combine. The mixture will seem pretty wet, but the panko will absorb some of the excess moisture as it sits. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
- Shape into 6 cakes, and coat each with the remaining panko bread crumbs. Heat the remaining 2 ½ tablespoons butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook the lobster cakes for about 3 minutes per side, or until golden and cooked through.
- Serve lobster cakes with lemon wedges and your choice of sauce if using.
Notes
- To yield 1 pound of lobster meat you will need about four 1 ¼ pound lobsters. Larger lobsters will obviously contain more meat. A live lobster will usually yield about 20 to 25% of its weight in meat. I have made this recipe with 2 larger lobsters and yielded 12 ounces of meat.
- You may easily reduce this recipe if you have less lobster meat--halve the recipe if you only have 8 ounces meat (yield 3 cakes), or cut it by ¾ if you have 12 ounces of meat (multiply the ingredient values by .75 in this case, and yield about 4 slightly larger cakes). To reduce the egg, just beat it in a small bowl and measure out about ½ or ¾ of the egg depending on how many cakes you are making.
- Alternatively, if you are short on lobster meat, you can substitute the remainder with other seafood like crab meat, chopped sea scallops, or diced cooked fish or shrimp.
- If you don't want to cook your own lobsters, see if your seafood purveyor will steam them for you. Many of my local grocery store seafood counters will steam lobsters free of charge! I often take advantage of this so I don't have to cook/kill them myself.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Tim Tyler
This recipe was great i just fried them in butter and served them with lemon wedges and tartar sauce
Sheila
can you freeze?
Victoria
Hi Sheila,
Yes, after cooking your lobster cakes you can freeze them. Arrange them in a single layer on a tray or sheet pan and freeze until solid before transferring to a freezer bag or another freezer-safe container (if you plan to freeze them longer than a month, I'd also suggest wrapping each lobster cake in plastic wrap before putting in the freezer bag to help prevent freezer burn). Then thaw in the refrigerator and reheat them gently in a pan or in the oven.
Robert
Very good. I already made this for two, four, and five people altering the recipe the best I could and it turned out excellent each time. Combined with spicy aioli and/or tartare sauce it was divine. Thank you.
Brenda
Made for valentine’s dinner and they were very good! Will definitely make again!
Ann
Can Gluten Free panko be used?
Victoria
Hi Ann,
Yes, you could definitely use gluten-free panko in place of regular panko to make these lobster cakes gluten-free.
Mary Kabakian
MMMMMMM!!! I love recipes with lobster. These cakes are the perfect lunch idea.