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An image of mini crab cakes on a white plateAn image of mini crab cakes on a white plateMini Crab Cakes. 

Lump crab meat, panko crumbs, tartar sauce, egg, and spices are mixed together, formed into bite-sized balls then baked until they’re crisp on the outside and just lightly browned. These simple and quick cakes are the perfect bites of crab goodness and would be a great appetizer for your seafood-lovin’ guests.Crab cakes

These Mini Crab Cakes are baked, which makes them more hands-off than pan-fried crab cakes (just scoop onto a foil-lined baking sheet and pop into the oven).

To make these little crab cakes you’ll combine the following:

  • lump crab meat
  • panko crumbs
  • tartar sauce
  • Old Bay seasoning
  • garlic powder
  • ground black pepper

Once mixed together, you’ll form the crab mixture into little balls, bake until golden brown, then serve with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.

We serve these little crab cakes with tartar sauce for dipping and lots of lemon wedges. You could certainly make your own tartar sauce, but I used store-bought as a time-saver.

This is a great year-round recipe. Perfect for the holidays (well, in “normal” years) when you’re serving a crowd – but also great for summertime entertaining as well when you’re serving a large group. The recipe makes about 32 bites. They also freeze well, so you could make a batch to enjoy as an appetizer (or dinner) and freeze any leftovers for another night.

An image of crab cake bites

If you don’t want to serve these crab bites as an appetizer, they make a protein-packed main as well and will easily serve 4. Serve alongside a big green salad and warm rolls – or serve with brown rice and roasted veggies.

Oh – and for crab lovin’ kids, these bites should be a hit, because they are just the right size. Skip the chicken fingers and opt for these mini crab cakes instead!

Let us know if you give them a try!

An image of mini crab cakes on a white plate

Here’s how to make these easy crab cakes:

An overhead image of crab cakes

Mini Crab Cakes

Lump crab meat, panko crumbs, tartar sauce, egg, garlic, Old Bay and black pepper are combined, formed into little balls then baked until golden and crisp. These easy and tasty bites of crab goodness are a great appetizer, or serve them as a kid-friendly main for dinner like we do (skip the chicken fingers and opt for these bites instead!).
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Total Time 25 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 8 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 16-ounce can refrigerated lump crab meat picked over for any shell fragments
  • 1 cup plain panko crumbs
  • 1/2 cup tartar sauce plus more for dipping
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning plus more for sprinkling
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

For serving

  • 1 lemon cut into wedges
  • Tartar sauce for dipping

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with tinfoil. Spray each baking sheet with cooking spray.
  • Add crab, panko crumbs, tartar sauce, beaten egg, Old Bay, garlic powder and black pepper to a large mixing bowl. Mix until combined.
  • Using a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, scoop the crab cake mixture into your hand, then roll into a ball, squishing gently as you roll. Place each bite on the prepared baking sheet. Leave approximately an inch or so between bites. Continue making the bites until the mixture is gone. Sprinkle tops with additional Old Bay.
  • Place into oven. Bake for 12-14 minutes until bites are golden brown and set.
  • Remove from oven. Place bites onto a serving plate. Serve with lemon wedges and additional tartar sauce for dipping.
Keyword Mini Crab Cakes
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