These mini crab cakes are so easy to make! You won’t have to go to a restaurant to get delicious crab cakes. And you will find that if you refrigerate the crabcakes after shaping them, they will hold together very well when you cook them.
Use Fresh Crabmeat for Mini Crab Cakes
The fresher the crabmeat, the better the crab cakes will taste! But if you do not have easy access to fresh crabmeat, some refrigerated brands in the meat department work well. These crabmeat containers usually contain 8-16 ounces of crabmeat. Just be sure to use it as soon as you purchase it, even though it will usually have a best-by date well into the future. Fresh crab makes such a big difference!
Lump crabmeat works well for this recipe, although jumbo lump and claw meat also work. I do not recommend using imitation crabmeat for this recipe.
Crunchy Breading
This recipe uses Chex Rice cereal for the bread crumbs. Although you may substitute other breadcrumbs, rolling the crab cakes in Chex Rice cereal makes for a crunchy coating. Therefore, these crab cakes never taste soggy! As a side benefit, Chex Rice cereal makes this recipe gluten-free, which is great for those who are gluten intolerant. If gluten is not a concern, you can substitute panko breadcrumbs.
Chill the Mini Crab Cakes Before Cooking
Did you know that chilling the crab cakes will help them hold together when you cook them? I recommend chilling them for one hour. I usually refrigerate them while I prepare side dishes, so everything finishes at about the same time.
Dill Sauce for Mini Crab Cakes
Dill sauce tastes great with these crab cakes and is easy to make. Additionally, Thomas Fish Camp Lemon Butter Dill Sauce & Marinade complements these cakes. It is sold in grocery stores and online.
Other Recipes You Might Like
If you like this recipe, here are some other seafood recipes. Click on each name to link to the recipe.
- Fried Fish Tacos
- Baked Fish Tacos
- Salmon with Garlic Lemon Butter
- New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp
- Shrimp Tacos
- Mini Crab Cakes
- Crab-Stuffed Shrimp
- Shrimp Po’Boy
- Seafood Campechana
Mini Crab Cakes
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons shallots, finely minced (may substitute minced sweet onion)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 ½ tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ground
- 1 large egg, beaten
- ½ cup Rice Chex cereal, crushed (may substitute other bread crumbs)
- 1 pound lump crabmeat
- ¾ cup extra Rice Chex crumbs (roll the crabcakes in these crumbs)
Instructions
- Pick out any shell pieces from the crabmeat. Set aside.
- Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter in a skillet. Sauté the shallots and garlic until wilted (about 1-2 minutes). Remove from the heat and pour into a mixing bowl.
- Add the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, egg, and Rice Chex crumbs. Stir until well mixed.
- Gently fold in the crabmeat. Place 3/4 cup of the extra Rice Chex cereal crumbs onto a plate. Form the crabmeat mixture into 2-inch diameter cakes (1/2 inch tall) and roll in the crumbs to coat. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all crab cakes are on the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 1 hour to set the crab cakes.
- After 1 hour, remove crab cakes from the refrigerator. Place 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a skillet and heat on medium until hot. Place crab cakes in the oil, adding more oil as necessary, and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes each side.