Air Fryer Crab Cakes
These Maryland-style Air Fryer Crab Cakes are easy to make and done in 15 minutes! A delicious appetizer that can be prepped ahead.
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Why you'll love these Maryland-style crab cakes
It's super simple and so easy to make. You can even show the kids how to do this one. They would love to make personal air-fried naan pizzas, too.
These air-fried crab cakes have minimal fillers and focus on crab meat. There are just enough filler ingredients to make delicious crab cakes.
The ingredients for Air-Fried Crab Cakes are pantry staples, but they're combined into a delicious appetizer without much filler and big chunks of crab meat. Try some Buffalo Chicken Meatballs as another appetizer to pair with these.
These crab cakes can be assembled in advance and refrigerated until ready to cook.
Toasted Ravioli
Have some crispy toasted ravioli to pair with these delicious crab cakes for dinner!
Ingredients
Here is a quick snapshot of the ingredients you'll need. Scroll down to the recipe card, where you'll find exact measurements.
Ingredient notes
- Crab meat - buy fresh jumbo crab lump meat at your seafood market from your grocery store. This kind works out best for crab cakes, but you can use imitation crab meat to still get a good crab cake.
- Dijon mustard - complements the recipe well, but yellow mustard can be substituted if needed.
- Old Bay seasoning - you can use Cajun seasoning as well.
- Parsley - I think fresh is best as it has a nice flavor pop, but dried can also be used.
- Bread crumbs - can be substituted with crushed pork rinds for a keto-friendly diet.
How to make crab cakes
- Combine in a large bowl the crab lump meat, bread crumbs, parsley, Old Bay seasonings, mayonnaise, egg white, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Mix everything together thoroughly with a spoon or rubber spatula.
- Divide the crab mixture into four equal portions and form into patties. Be careful not to overwork the crab mixture, as this will make them come out dense, and the crab cakes will fall apart.
- Lightly spray the air fryer basket with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray. Place the patties in the basket in a single layer. Cook at 370 degrees for five minutes; no preheating is required.
- Flip the crab cakes, and cook for 5 minutes at the same temperature.
- Cook the crab patties until golden brown, then remove to serve immediately.
Note
If you have to preheat your air fryer, wait until you have done that before adding the parchment paper. Since there is nothing to weigh it down it will fly around and be a fire hazard.
Stovetop instructions
- Mix together all the ingredients in a medium bowl, and stir to combine.
- Form the patties and set aside on a plate.
- Preheat a medium saute pan on medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of butter to the pan.
- Saute for 3-5 minutes, and then flip. Continue continuing cooking for 3-5 minutes. Both sides of the crab cakes should be golden brown.
Top tips
This Air-Fried Crab Cake is a classic Maryland-style crab cake, but don't be afraid to experiment.
For something different, you can add finely diced red bell pepper or green onion to the mixture. You can also play around with the spices to turn up the heat.
Buy high-quality crab meat for this recipe! The crab is the star of the show, and big chunks of fresh crab are a signature quality of this dish. Make sure the crab is chilled before using it.
Be gentle when mixing. The crab doesn't like it like when you're rough! LOL Using an ice cream scoop can help you form them into patties.
Serving suggestions
Air Fryer Crab Cakes are usually served with saltine crackers, a lemon wedge, or a sauce like tartar sauce or hot sauce. They can also be dipped in a tasty garlic aioli or remoulade sauce. Or, you might want to try some Mississippi Comeback Sauce.
They are wonderful as an appetizer for steak or other seafood or as a main dish with salad. These crispy crab cakes also make a great crab cake sandwich.
Frequently asked questions
Not having enough binder. While crab is naturally moist, the key is to have a proper balance of binders to keep it together. Egg plus a starch binder is required. Be careful, though.... too much binder will create a not-so-tasty texture.
You can soak the crab in milk for 20 minutes, then drain and pat dry to eliminate a fishy taste. The casein in milk binds to TMA, which is the fishy culprit and is drained away. However, be sure the crab is fresh it shouldn't smell bad.
Storage & Reheating
Store leftover crab cakes in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Reheat in either the microwave or air fryer. To reheat in the air fryer, cook at 370 degrees for a minute or two.
Crab cakes can be frozen, cooked, or uncooked. Wrap each crab cake in plastic wrap and freeze for up to one month. Defrost in the refrigerator.
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Recipe
Air Fryer Crab Cakes
Ingredients
- 8 ounces crab lump meat
- 1 egg white
- ¼ cup bread crumbs can substitute with crushed pork rinds for a keto diet
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tablespoon parsley
- ½ tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
- 2 ½ tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard can also use yellow mustard
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients into a medium-sized bowl.
- Stir all the ingredients together.
- Form the mixture into four patties. Be careful not to overwork the mixture as this will make the crab dense and it may fall apart.
- Add the crab cakes to the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook at 370 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Flip halfway through the cooking time, and cook an additional 5 minutes at the same temperature.
- Cook the crab cakes until they are a golden brown.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days. Reheat in either the microwave or air fryer. To reheat in the air fryer just cook at 370-degrees for a minute or two.
- Crab cakes can be frozen cooked or uncooked. Wrap each crab cake in plastic wrap, and then freeze for up to one month. Defrost in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
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