If you are looking for a good crab cake made in the air fryer, then you have come to the right place! These Air Fryer Crab Cakes are made with fresh crab meat and just enough filler ingredients to hold them together.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
Less mess: no grease splatters making a mess on the stovetop!
Little filler: there is more crab meat compared to filler in this delicious crab cakes recipe!
Easy air fryer recipe: making these crab cakes in the air fryer is super easy and will become your favorite seafood air fryer recipe!
🥘 Ingredients
Large eggs
Mayonnaise: use full fat mayonnaise, I prefer Dukes or Hellmann's.
Dijon mustard: dijon is a creamy mustard that is made with black mustard seeds and a little spicier than yellow mustard.
Hot sauce: use your favorite hot sauce
Seafood seasoning: I prefer old bay seasoning but feel free to use your own favorite brand.
Fresh Lemons: for the binding sauce and to garnish cooked crab cakes.
Fresh lump crab meat: buy this in a refrigerated section of the grocery store; I like to buy high-quality jumbo lump crabmeat.
Saltine crackers: these are crushed and mixed with the wet ingredients to help create a binder that holds the crab cakes together.
Green onion: used as garnish
Creole or Cajun seasoning: my preference is Tony Cachere's Creole seasoning
Paprika: sweet or smoked paprika will work, depending on your preference.
Fresh garlic
Fresh ginger
Sour cream
Nonstick cooking spray
🔪 Instructions
For the remoulade
- In a small mixing bowl, add the sour cream, creole seasoning, paprika, garlic, ginger, and mustard and stir to combine. Place remoulade in the fridge to chill while you prepare the crab cakes.
For the crab cakes
- In a medium bowl, crack and whisk the egg using a hand whisk. Whisk in the mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce, old bay seasoning, and lemon juice until well incorporated.
- Place the cracker crumbs and crab meat in a large bowl, tossing to combine. Stir in the egg mixture until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. This allows the cracker crumbs to soak up the egg mixture making it easier for the cakes to bind together.
- With a ¼-quarter cup scoop, scoop equal portions of crab mixture and shape into a ball.
- Place the crab cakes on parchment paper lined air fryer basket. Spray tops of crab cakes with cooking spray.
- Air fry crab cakes at 375 degrees f for 12-15 minutes or until outside of the crab cakes look crispy and turn golden brown. Flip the crab cakes halfway through cooking and spray again with cooking spray.
- Remove the crab cakes from the air fryer basket and cool for 5 minutes before serving.
🥄 Equipment
Air fryer
Parchment paper liner: to line the air fryer when cooking.
Large scoop: use a ¼ cup sized scoop to portion the crab cake mixture
Small turner: to flip crab cakes
🥫Storage
Refrigerate: store leftover crab cakes in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days.
Freeze: you can freeze uncooked crab cakes in the freezer in a freezer safe container up to 3 months. To cook frozen raw crab cakes, place in the air fryer as directed and cook 5 min longer than suggested cooking time.
Reheat: reheat thawed leftovers in the air fryer at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.
📖 Variations
- Add ¼ cup finely diced green or red bell pepper to the crab cake mixture
- Substitute seasoned bread crumbs for the saltine crackers
- Imitation crab can be substituted for lump crab meat
- Leave out the hot sauce and add a few splashes of worcestershire sauce instead.
- Make mini crab cakes using ⅛ cup of crab meat mixture and serve as an appetizer instead of a main dish.
💭 Tips
- For crispy crab cakes, you can flatten the cakes instead of leaving them in a ball. If leaving the crab cakes rounded, they will stay moist in the center more than the flattened crab patties.
🙋 Alternate Cooking Methods
Oven baked crab cakes: place crab cakes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Spray top of cakes with cooking spray and bake in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, until golden brown.
Pan- fried crab cakes: I recommend flattening the cakes if pan frying, to ensure the cakes are cooked through on the inside without burning on the outside. Place in a large skillet over medium high heat with a tablespoon of olive oil. Fry on each side for 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
📚 Related Recipes
My family loves this Crab Rangoon appetizer recipe!
These keto salmon patties are another great seafood dinner recipe.
This Crab and Swiss Quiche makes an elegant weekend brunch.
🍽 Serve with...
Serve these homemade crab cakes with lemon wedge, remoulade sauce, tartar sauce, or your own favorite sauce.
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce
Equipment
- Medium mixing bowl
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Ingredients
For the remoulade (optional)
- 1 teaspoon creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
- ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- ¼ cup sour cream
For the crab cakes
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons old bay seasoning
- 1 large lemon , juiced
- 1 pound chunk crab meax
- 1 cup saltine cracker crumbs
- ⅛ cup diced green onions
- lemon wedges
Instructions
For the remoulade
- In a small mixing bowl, add the sour cream, creole seasoning, paprika, garlic, ginger, and mustard and stir to combine.
- Place remoulade in the fridge to chill while you prepare the crab cakes.
For the crab cakes
- In a medium bowl, crack and whisk the egg using a hand whisk. Whisk in the mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce, old bay seasoning, and lemon juice until well incorporated.
- Place the cracker crumbs and crab meat in a large bowl, tossing to combine. Stir in the egg mixture until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. This allows the cracker crumbs to soak up the egg mixture making it easier for the cakes to bind together.
- With a ¼-quarter cup scoop, scoop equal portions of crab mixture and shape into a ball.Place the crab cakes on parchment paper lined air fryer basket. Spray tops of crab cakes with cooking spray.
- Air fry crab cakes at 375 degrees f for 12-15 minutes or until outside of the crab cakes look crispy and turn golden brown. Flip the crab cakes halfway through cooking and spray again with cooking spray.
- Remove the crab cakes from the air fryer basket and cool for 5 minutes before serving.
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