Food and Recipes Side Dishes 31 Delicious Side Dishes for Crab Cakes By Southern Living Editors Updated on May 3, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele Some dishes never get old. Homemade banana pudding, Mama's fried chicken, and Southern sweet tea just to name a few. But when it comes to summertime, it's crab cakes that take the cake...literally. This quintessential summer recipe can be served as a lovely party appetizer, but there's something about enjoying them around the dinner table that really takes a typical weeknight supper up a notch. Crab cakes are often made with breadcrumbs and a heaping helping of butter, so deciding what side dish to serve in tow is always a challenge. Our rule? Find something bright and flavorful yet simple enough not to outshine your cakes. For us, that means gains, vegetables, and salads. Here are a few of our favorite summertime sides to serve with crab cakes tonight. 01 of 31 Potato Salad with Dijon and Scallions Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Potato Salad with Dijon and Scallions Suppertime guests will want to pile their plates high with this colorful potato salad. Plus, you can make the Dijon mustard and picked onions in advance. 02 of 31 Asparagus with Cheese Sauce and Herb Breadcrumbs Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Asparagus with Cheese Sauce and Herb Breadcrumbs A drizzle of cheese and breadcrumbs is all you need enhance the bright flavor of these stalks. 03 of 31 Grilled Baby Zucchini-and-Tomato Salad Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Anna Hampton Recipe: Grilled Baby Zucchini-and-Tomato Salad In this colorful side, all you need to do is slice, coat, grill, and season. 04 of 31 Oven-Roasted Corn on the Cob Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Oven-Roasted Corn on the Cob You can't go wrong with classic corn on the cob come summertime. This simple, oven-roasted recipe is reliable and works with lots of butter and herb variations. 05 of 31 Quinoa Salad with Carrots and Sugar Snap Peas Johnny Autry; Food and Prop Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Quinoa Salad with Carrots and Sugar Snap Peas This vibrant quinoa side comes together in less than 20 minutes, and you don't even have to preheat the oven. 06 of 31 Tangy Potato-Green Bean Salad Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Tangy Potato-Green Bean Salad This lively lemon-dill vinaigrette take on a classic potato salad is a bright change of place from your usual creamy version. 07 of 31 Three-Bean Pasta Salad Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Toni Brogan Recipe: Three-Bean Pasta Salad Here, pasta salad and three-bean salad join forces for the ultimate 30-minute side. 08 of 31 Lemon Vinaigrette Pasta Salad with Field Peas Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Recipe: Lemon Vinaigrette Pasta Salad with Field Peas A fantastic blend of flavors, this lemony pasta salad is a great way to use up the fresh herbs hanging out in your fridge. 09 of 31 Carrot Soup with Pea Pesto Johnny Autry; Food and Prop Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Carrot Soup with Pea Pesto Laced with plenty of spring vegetables, this recipe is proof soup is for any season. 10 of 31 Baked Zucchini Fries Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Baked Zucchini Fries "I genuinely could not stop reaching for one after another of these fries!" one editor said about this recipe. "Because they're reminiscent of a mozzarella stick or French fry, these would be a huge win with the picky eaters in your home." 11 of 31 Sautéed Squash and Zucchini Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro Recipe: Sautéed Squash and Zucchini The ultimate quick-and-easy vegetable combination, this side serves up all the flavor of of a squash casserole without the extra calories. 12 of 31 Tomato, Peach, and Corn Salad Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele Recipe: Tomato, Peach, and Corn Salad Put your farmers' market finds to good use in this summertime salad you'll want to eat by the forkful. 13 of 31 Easy Grilled Asparagus Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Recipe: Easy Grilled Asparagus The best surprise in this simple grilled asparagus? Bacon. 14 of 31 Best-Ever Succotash Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Best-Ever Succotash Fresh cherry tomatoes, basil, and a little bit of salted butter are just a few of the secrets to our Best-Ever Succotash. 15 of 31 Classic Grilled Corn on the Cob Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Classic Grilled Corn on the Cob When it comes to corn on the cob, we like to use the husks as handles. It makes for a pretty presentation and simplifies handling hot ears. 16 of 31 Slow-Cooker Corn Chowder Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Slow-Cooker Corn Chowder All you need is a hunk of bread to go with your crab cakes and summer soup with this slow-cooked side or dinner starter. 17 of 31 Spicy Grilled Corn Salad Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Toni Brogan Recipe: Spicy Grilled Corn Salad This tangy, smoky, slightly creamy side dish has a real kick. 18 of 31 Cucumber Salad Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Cucumber Salad If you're an owner of the Southern Living Party Cookbook, circa 1972, you might be familiar with this side dish recipe. Cool and refreshing, this salad would pair well with rich crab cakes. 19 of 31 Tomato-Herb Panzanella Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Tomato-Herb Panzanella If you believe that croutons are the best part of any salad, you have to meet the Southern-favorite dish panzanella. It's fresh enough to pair with crab cakes but hearty enough to keep you full. 20 of 31 Pineapple-Pepper Slaw Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Pineapple-Pepper Slaw Colorful, crunchy, and with just the right amount of sweet and heat, this Pineapple-Pepper Slaw is full of flavor. You'll want to prepare an extra batch of the vinaigrette to use over grilled veggies, fish, or chicken. 21 of 31 Lady Pea Salad Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Recipe: Lady Pea Salad Herby and bright, this pea salad is simple but stunning. When Lady Peas aren't an option, use another type of mild-flavored fresh or frozen field pea, such as Purple Hull, Zipper, or Pink Eye. 22 of 31 Grilled Endive-and-Halloumi Salad with Strawberries Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Grilled Endive-and-Halloumi Salad with Strawberries To instantly add flavor to any summertime dish, pop it on the grill. Grilling the ingredients in this salad brings out an extra layer of flavor that makes it taste and look restaurant worthy. 23 of 31 Carrot-and-Cabbage Slaw with Sunflower Seeds Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Carrot-and-Cabbage Slaw with Sunflower Seeds With 15 minutes and just a few ingredients, you can literally toss together your new favorite side dish. If you're hosting a dinner party, though, plan on making it the day before to save you time—it tastes even better the next day. 24 of 31 Chopped Kale Salad with Toasted Breadcrumbs Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Chopped Kale Salad with Toasted Breadcrumbs This lightened-up take on Caesar salad is our new go-to for meal prep and dinner parties alike. The toasted breadcrumbs are so delicious, you won't miss croutons for a second. 25 of 31 Cucumber-and-Vidalia Onion Salad Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christina Daley Recipe: Cucumber-and-Vidalia Onion Salad This refreshing, veggie-forward salad will pair well with just about any main dish you make, including juicy crab cakes. Even though it looks pretty enough to be on Instagram, it only takes 10 minutes to get it on the table. 26 of 31 Three-Bean Salad with Tomatoes and Tangy Creole Dressing Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Three-Bean Salad with Tomatoes and Tangy Creole Dressing Make a bit of extra creole dressing for topping your crab cakes—you won't regret it. 27 of 31 Tangy Rainbow Slaw Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Tangy Rainbow Slaw This light cole slaw recipe puts the focus on the veggies, and the dressing isn't like the mayo-heavy ones you're used to. 28 of 31 Cucumber-Chickpea Salad with Feta-Mint Vinaigrette Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Cucumber-Chickpea Salad with Feta-Mint Vinaigrette "It's time to ditch the croutons: Crispy chickpeas are the instant upgrade that your work-week salad routine needs," said one writer. Once you try this recipe, you'll have no option but to agree with her. 29 of 31 Crunchy Okra-and-Corn Salad with Ranch Dressing Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Crunchy Okra-and-Corn Salad with Ranch Dressing This pretty salad proves okra can be enjoyed other ways than out of the deep fryer. The homemade ranch dressing will convince you to leave the bottled stuff behind. 30 of 31 Caesar Salad with Garlicky Croutons Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Caesar Salad with Garlicky Croutons Our Test Kitchen has proclaimed it: "It's time to rescue the classic Caesar from bagged salad boredom." This homemade take will elevate your supper immediately. 31 of 31 Heirloom Tomato Salad with Herbs Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Heirloom Tomato Salad with Herbs Instead of drowning things in sauce, we prefer to let fresh produce shine in the summer months. This lovely salad lets tomatoes and zippy herbs speak for themselves with just a light vinaigrette. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit