Baked Mini Crab Cakes
Delicious baked mini Crab and Fish Cakes for an easy and elegant appetizer ready in just 25 minutes. It is a muffin tin recipe which means no-mess, easy cleanup with flavors that everyone will enjoy!
This Mini Crab Cakes recipe makes delicious baked crab cake bites bursting with flavor of spices. It will become your favorite appetizer because these Crab Cakes are easy to assemble, are baked in muffin tin for no-mess cooking. Makes substantial amount to serve a gathering in just 25 minutes, start to finish. Dairy Free.
If you often buy mini Crab Cakes from Costco or Whole Foods? This time, let's make these at home with this easy recipe. Homemade Crab Cakes bites are healthier, and have no ingredients you can't pronounce! I'm sure you will love the flavor.
Serve Crab Cakes bites with quick homemade tartar sauce. Let's get started.
Baked Crab Cakes
Baked Crab Cakes come out as-if cooked in skillet, fried in batches. These are golden crispy from the outside and tender delicious inside. Plus healthier without much use of oil.
Secret to fully bake Crab Cakes in oven is the correct proportion of ingredients and finishing with the broiling of crab cakes for last 1-2 minutes of cooking. The correct proportion of ingredients keeps cake moist and broiling fries the crab cakes from top to crispy finish.
What Do You Need To Make Mini Crab Cakes?
For this recipe, I mix a minced fillet of Cod Fish with lump Crab Meat for bold seafood flavor and also to stretch the dollar to serve a crowd. Recipe yields 18-22 mini Crab Cakes. A homemade dipping sauce and this is a delicious appetizer fully homemade.
You need following ingredients to make Mini Crab Cakes:
- Crab Meat
- Cod Fish Fillet Use of fish is optional. You can also replace Cod Fillet with additional lump crab meat.)
- Egg
- Mayo
- Mustard
- Seasoning (try homemade seasoning)
- Scallion
- Lemon Juice
- Jalapeno
- Breadcrumbs
Make Mini Crab Cakes
To make mini Crab Cakes, I start by mixing all the ingredients except crab meat and breadcrumbs. I mince the fish fillets roughly on a clean chopping board until pieces resemble the crab meat lumps. You can also use food processor for mincing fish. Once all ingredients are in (including fish), next I mix in crab meat and breadcrumbs.
It is important to:
- Always pick crab meat for shells before using.
- Do not break the lumps when mixing the crab meat.
- Use breadcrumbs only as per need. Too much crumbs can make cakes tough, too little will make binding cakes difficult.
Once crab mix is ready. Baking cakes is easy. Roll crab mix to small crab balls and place into the greased muffin tins. Bake in preheated oven until cooked through. Broil for last few minutes until tops are golden brown.
Notice in the picture above. Once ready, cakes firm up and slightly pull away from sides of muffin pan cups.
TIP: Before cooking, drizzle lemon juice on fish. Then wash with clean filtered water. Wipe it dry. Fish treated with lemon juice before cooking will have no after-cooking-fish-smell.
Tips for Success
- Always pick crab meat for shells before using. Even premium crab lump meat can have tiny shells.
- Grease the muffin tin with a lite coat of cooking oil spray or brush. This way crab cakes don't stick to pan. Also brown well from the bottom.
- For even more flavor, rub room temperature butter in each muffin tin.
- Before baking, I also brush the top with little oil for gorgeous golden brown crab cake bites.
Air Fryer Crab Cakes
This recipe also works to make crab cakes in the air fryer. Form the crab cake mixture into mini cakes as described in the recipe card. Arrange in pre-oiled and preheated air fryer in single layer. Cook at 375 degrees Air Fry Setting for 10-15 minutes or until crab cakes are cooked through.
TIP: You can also make these crab cakes gluten free by replacing breadcrumbs with gluten free breadcrumbs or rice or almond flour.
Friends, if you love Crab meat, these Mini Crab Cakes will become your favorite go-to appetizer. Quick cooking time and easy cleanup makes these my favorite seafood finger food. I hope you will like these as mush as we do.
Happy Cooking!
Serve with Dips:
Baked Mini Crab Cakes
(10 reviews)
Ingredients
Directions
- 1. Prepare Fish for Cakes: Preheat oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Pat dry fish. See Note 1. Chop it using knife or process in food processor until coarsely minced. Coat two sheets of the one-dozen (1/4 cup muffin tins) with cooking spray.
- 2. Mix Ingredients: In a medium bowl, bowl add egg and mayo. Whisk to break egg and mix with mayo. Add all of the remining ingredients except breadcrumbs and crab meat. Mix well. Add crab meat and gently fold in. Add 1/4 cup bread crumbs. Resist adding more. Use more only if needed to make binding of cakes easier. Additional Notes: I use 1/4-1/3 cup panko bread crumbs. See Note 4.
- 3. Make Cakes: Scoop 2-3 tablespoons of mixture, form a rough round cake and place in the greased muffin tin. Repeat for all remaining crab mixture. Mixture yields 20-22 crab cakes.
- 4. Bake Cakes: Bake Crab Cakes at 375 degrees preheat oven, in the top rack, for 12-15 minutes or until cakes look firm from the top. Next switch to broiler and broil for 1-3 minutes until top look golden as shown in the pictures. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before removing from muffin tins. Serve with dipping sauce of choice. Additional Notes: Notice in the pictures above recipe card. Once ready, cakes firm up and slightly pull away from sides of muffin pan cups.
Savita's Notes:
- How to Remove Cooked Fish Smell? Before cooking, drizzle lemon juice on fish. Then wash with clean filtered water. Wipe it dry.
- Always pick crab meat for shells before using.
- If Old Bay Seasoning has no added salt then add 1/4 teaspoon of salt while mixing the crab cake batter.
- Spicy Mayo: Mix 1/4 cup mayo with 2 tsp of sriracha, 1 tbsp water and 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper.
- Tartar Sauce: Try homemade Tartar Sauce recipe to serve on the side.
- Baked mini Crab Cakes freeze well. Thaw in refrigerator and reheat in a dry heated skillet.
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15 Responses
Michele
I had never heard of crab cakes cooked in a muffin pan but that idea is genius! These tasted fabulous and were so easy to make. I will be making these for game day this weekend!Dana Sandonato
These crab cakes are awesome. I love that theyre baked instead of fried, and are still so wonderfully crispy!Toni
These are really perfect appetizers! Perfect for game day!!Claudia Lamascolo
I have made these twice now everyone loves them!Rachna
Looks so delicious. I love crab cakes and your recipe seems easy enough.Linda
Oooh, my favorite dinner made into an appetizer, brilliant! These were so easy to make and I'm planning on making them again for the big game this weekend. I hadn't thought of cutting cost by using cod but they actually came out perfectly delicious.Savita
Thanks for the feedback. Yes, Cod fish is an excellent way to make substantial cakes. You can also use tilapia or flounder.Dannii
These would be amazing to serve up as party food. I can't wait to try them.Savita
Thanks Dannii. Enjoy!Gina
Crab cakes is one of my favorite appetizers and this recipe I will be coming back to time and time again! A crowd pleaser for sure!Savita
Such a sweet feedback Gina! This is a crowd fav in our parties.Jessica Stroup
Easy recipe and so much flavor! This was exactly what I was looking for!Savita
You got it 🙌Claudia Lamascolo
Love the flavor combination of these crab cakes!Savita
Thanks. Flavor of these crab cakes is hit at gathering in our home.