A deliciously easy lunch or dinner starts with lump crabmeat, flavored with lots of seasoning and cooked to crispy perfection in your air fryer. Add a red pepper sauce to go with these crab cakes and you will have a tasty, low carb meal with little clean up!
Why this recipe is just so good....
- This is a quick dinner you will want to add to your monthly meal plan. After the crab cakes are refrigerated briefly, they cook in about 15 minutes.
- The air fryer makes them so crisp and you only need a bit of non stick oil spray so they are low fat and very healthy. Serve them on a roll or in a salad for a low carb option.
- The sauce is full of flavor but not too hot. Lemon is always a great way to enhance any seafood as well.
Ingredients you will need:
- lump crabmeat
- egg, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce
- coconut flour (or panko bread crumbs if not doing low carb)
- celery seed, Old Bay, scallions, lemon pepper
- roasted red peppers (jarred)
- olive oil baking spray
- olive oil
- minced garlic
- salt, pepper
How to make Crab Cakes in the Air Fryer?
Combine all ingredients and mix well.
Form into patties and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour to ensure that they will set up and not crumble apart.
Lightly spray the bottom of the air fryer basket and crab cakes with olive oil non stick spray. Cook crab cakes in preheated air fryer for 8 minutes. Gently flip, spray the other side and continue to cook the crab cakes for another 8 minutes or until desired crispness. Serve with lemon and roasted red pepper sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lump crabmeat is preferred to use in this recipe. It has a chunkier texture and great flavor. If you want to use canned white crab, just note that it will be a flakier texture like canned tuna. My Crab Louie Salad recipe uses canned crab and it is absolutely delicious. Also, make sure to rinse it well since it is saltier. Ehow has an article about the different types of crabmeat.
Yes, you can form them into the patties, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate a day ahead.
When you're ready to cook in the Air Fryer, just remember to use some olive oil or other baking spray to prevent sticking in the Air Fryer.
You can make your own! I would use ¼ teaspoon of: salt, pepper, paprika, dry mustard, allspice, red pepper flakes, onion powder and ½ teaspoon of celery seed. Even though Old Bay has a very distinct flavor, if you don't have all the exact spices, you can combine your favorites and it will be fine.
Cooking Tips
- These crab cakes can be made as the low carb version as stated with coconut flour. But if you prefer, you can substitute panko or regular breadcrumbs as a binder with the egg.
- We love to serve the red pepper sauce along with the crab cakes. But you can also make a quick tartar sauce by mixing some mayonnaise, lemon juice, pickle relish and some mustard.
- Leftover crab cakes should be stored in refrigerator and used within two days.
- You can freeze the crab cakes for up to one month. Either wrap individual crab cakes in parchment and place in a plastic zipper bag or airtight container. Or place the crab cakes on a baking sheet, place in freezer until frozen solid 1-2 hours, then put them in the container. Either way will be great and prevent them from sticking together.
Some other easy, delicious dinners to try:
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Air Fryer Crispy Crab Cakes
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Description
These crispy crab cakes are a tasty appetizer or a quick and easy meal. They are cooked in the air fryer which means easy clean up too. Serve them with a sweet and spicy roasted red pepper sauce.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. container lump crab meat
- l large egg
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour* ( or substitute ½ cup breadcrumbs)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning **
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- 2 scallions, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons of roasted red pepper, ( drained from jar and finely chopped) or fresh red bell pepper
Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup diced roasted red pepper (from jar)
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the ingredients for crab cakes and stir well.
- Form into 4 patties and place on parchment paper on a plate.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat air fryer to 375°F. Spray bottom of basket with non stick spray.
- Place crab cakes in air fryer and spray tops with the spray.
- Cook for 8 minutes.
- Carefully, flip them over, spray the top and continue cooking for another 7 - 8 minutes, or until they are golden brown.***
- To make sauce: combine the mayonnaise, spices, and red pepper in a spice grinder, mini processor or blender. Pulse a few seconds to mix well and ingredients are smooth.
Notes
* There is an option to have this meal low carb or regular. If you choose to use the coconut flour, be assured it will not make the crab cakes sweet. It does not give a strong flavor in the crab cakes.
** To make your own Old Bay seasoning, combine ¼ teaspoon of the following: salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, dry mustard, allspice, red pepper flakes and ½ teaspoon celery seed.
*** Make sure you carefully flip the crab cakes over in the air fryer. I only flip them once, after they have cooked the first 8 minutes so they are not so soft when I turn them with a spatula.
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