These straightforward air fryer crab muffins, made with juicy crab meat and zesty seasonings, are deliciously crisp and golden, and cooked with much less oil than conventional skillet strategies. Take pleasure in them with do-it-yourself remoulade sauce and lemon wedges!
If there’s one method to make seafood extra versatile, it’s to show it right into a patty. I really like recipes like these air fryer crab muffins, my air fryer fish muffins, and my equally crispy salmon patties. They’re all the time successful as an appetizer or as a meal, particularly dressed up with dipping sauces like creamy remoulade or tartar sauce.
These crispy crab muffins are filled with juicy crab meat and a handful of tasty mix-ins that make them unattainable to withstand.
Why You’ll Love This Straightforward Crab Cake Recipe
They style like crab. I do know it appears apparent, however you’d be stunned what number of crab cake recipes find yourself tasting like add-ins and never precise crab meat! If you happen to ask me, one of the best crab patties don’t have a ton of unneeded mix-ins. Let the meat shine entrance and middle.
Cooked in minutes. My unique Maryland crab muffins are fast and straightforward to make on the stovetop, however I really like how hands-free the air fryer is. The muffins get further crispy and prepare dinner by in minutes, and I don’t must hover over a scorching skillet.
Selfmade remoulade. To not brag, however my creamy crab cake remoulade recipe is the bee’s knees. You haven’t lived till you’ve tried it. I really like slathering it over these crab muffins, or I’ll use it as a dip when serving.
Versatile. Crab muffins are scrumptious as an appetizer, aspect, or fundamental. Within the summertime, this recipe is on repeat. With juicy lump crab, contemporary herbs, and some extra flavorful add-ins, air fryer crab muffins are straightforward to make and tremendous tasty in sandwiches, salads, as a celebration snack, and extra.
Substances You’ll Want
These are the necessary components in my tried-and-true do-it-yourself crab cake recipe, plus some notes and substitutions. Scroll to the recipe card under the submit for a printable checklist of components with the quantities.
- Shallot and Bell Pepper – Sauteed in olive oil with garlic. You should utilize any gentle onion, like yellow onion, and any coloured pepper you’d like. Attempt to use freshly minced garlic, but when wanted, you’ll be able to substitute one clove with ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Crab Meat – I take advantage of lump crab meat (see under). It’s not the most affordable choice, however the style is value it!
- Mayonnaise and Dijon – Creamy mayo and Dijon mustard deliver moisture and taste to the crab muffins. You’ll be able to swap mayo for bitter cream or yogurt, and use yellow mustard as a substitute of Dijon.
- Egg – The egg helps bind the components collectively, the identical because it does in meatballs. I haven’t tried an egg-free model of this crab cake recipe, however I’d assume that it could work with a flax egg.
- Previous Bay Seasoning – The perfect seafood seasoning, fingers down! Previous Bay is a mixture of spices, together with celery salt and paprika. I take advantage of it to season all the things from crab muffins to my seafood boil and crab-stuffed salmon recipes. If you happen to completely should substitute it, a superb alternative for Previous Bay is Cajun spice, or you’ll be able to combine celery salt with paprika in a pinch, and season to style.
- Breadcrumbs – I take advantage of Italian breadcrumbs, however you should use any kind of seasoned or unseasoned breadcrumbs, and even Panko.
- Lemon Zest – Recent lemon zest is a should. Save the leftover lemon to squeeze over the crab muffins when serving.
- Parsley – Recent or dried.
What Form of Crab Meat Is Greatest?
You’ll discover sorts of crab meat in shops: “Jumbo lump”, “lump”, and canned. Jumbo lump crab meat is bigger, meatier, and dearer (nice for crab salad), whereas lump meat is made up of smaller items, good for crab muffins, IMO. You don’t have to be too fancy, although you’ll style the distinction. In a pinch, canned crab meat works on this recipe for those who can’t discover contemporary.
How you can Make Crab Muffins within the Air Fryer
Make juicy, crispy, golden air fryer crab muffins in simply 4 steps:
- Saute the veggies. First, saute diced bell pepper and onion over medium-high warmth. Add the garlic.
- Mix and chill. Subsequent, the sauteed veggies go right into a bowl with the remainder of your crab cake components. Give {that a} good combine. Afterward, pop the crab combination into the fridge for an hour.
- Form the crab muffins. Now, type your combination into patties. Be mild! I often press them to about ¼” thickness.
- Air fry. To air fry crab muffins, prepare the patties contained in the basket of your preheated air fryer. Cook dinner at 400ºF for ~10 minutes, flipping midway by.
Recipe Suggestions
- Don’t overwork. Watch out to not crush the crab combination when mixing and shaping your patties. Overworking results in dense, robust crab muffins. I discover that the best method to keep away from overworking the crab is to make use of your fingers. A picket spoon is your subsequent greatest wager.
- Keep away from non-stick sprays. If you happen to’re nervous about these crab muffins sticking, give your air fryer basket a lightweight spritz with olive oil spray or one other non-aerosol oil spray. Non-stick sprays, like PAM, will smoke and injury the coating in your air fryer basket.
- Cook dinner in batches. The important thing to air frying is to go away loads of house in between the meals in order that the new air can flow into. This manner, the skin crisps up whereas the within cooks. If wanted, air fry in batches in order that the crab muffins fry and don’t steam.
- How you can inform when crab muffins are carried out: These crab muffins in air fryer are prepared after they’re good and evenly browned on the skin and scorching by the center. In my air fryer, this takes about 5 minutes per aspect.
The Greatest Remoulade Sauce for Crab Muffins
Remoulade sauce is a bit like tartar sauce with a couple of further spices within the combine. Creamy, spicy, and zesty– it ties all of the flavors of those crab muffins collectively when serving. It’s ridiculously straightforward to make with components you in all probability have readily available, too.
Whereas your crab muffins are within the fryer, whisk collectively mayo and mustard with scorching sauce (Tabasco or Sriracha work nicely), paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and lemon juice. That’s it! Serve the sauce along with your air fryer crab muffins as a topping or dip. It’s additionally nice for dipping French fries.
Serving Solutions
I’ll make a batch of air fryer crab muffins to serve with the remoulade as a simple summer time appetizer. They’re additionally nice as a lightweight meal with a aspect of salad, like this Cobb salad or a family-style chef’s salad. Or, have a fish n’ chips second and pair your crab muffins with a pile of crispy seasoned French fries or Cajun fries.
They’re even scrumptious to serve between bread as a sandwich or as a alternative for burger patties.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Leftovers will final for as much as 3 days within the fridge. To freeze, individually wrap every crab cake in plastic wrap and retailer them in a freezer bag for as much as one month. To arrange, defrost them within the fridge in a single day earlier than cooking.
My favourite method to reheat crab muffins is to return them to the air fryer! Set them to prepare dinner for 10 minutes at 350ºF. You may as well reheat them coated within the oven or in a skillet on the stovetop.
Extra Crab Recipes
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Saute the veggies. Warmth the olive oil over medium-high warmth in a skillet and add the shallot and bell pepper. Saute till softened, after which add the garlic. Saute for 15 seconds or till aromatic.
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Put all of it collectively. To a big mixing bowl, add the sauteed veggies, crab, mayo, Dijon, egg, Previous Bay seasoning, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, and parsley. Along with your fingers or a picket spoon, combine all of it collectively simply till mixed.
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Chill. Cowl the crab combination and let it sit within the fridge for 1 hour.
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Prep. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F and spray the basket liberally with cooking spray.
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Kind the crab muffins. Kind the crab combination into 1/4-inch patties. Don’t overwork the combination.
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Air fry. Prepare the crab muffins within the basket of the air fryer with loads of house between them. If it’s essential to air fry in batches, accomplish that. Air fry the crab muffins for five minutes. Flip and air fry for a further 5 minutes or till golden brown.
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Make the sauce. Whereas the crab muffins are cooking, whisk collectively the mayo, mustard, scorching sauce, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and lemon juice. Style the remoulade sauce and season with salt and pepper if desired.
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Serve. Serve the crab muffins heat with the remoulade and lemon slices.
Energy: 634kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 26g | Fats: 52g | Saturated Fats: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 28g | Monounsaturated Fats: 14g | Trans Fats: 0.1g | Ldl cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 1924mg | Potassium: 393mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 900IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 3mg
Dietary data is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values might range based on the components and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed data.