Sweet, flaky chunks of crab take center stage in these bite-sized crab cake poppers. They’re perfectly poppable as is, but a dunk in some spicy garlic aioli put these in the party appetizer hall of fame.
Warning: These Crab Cake Poppers Are Dangerously Addictive
When it comes to seafood, crab reigns supreme in my mind. Pass me a plate of Dungeness crab, crab spaghetti, or crab legs, and I’m a happy camper.
These crispy on the outside, tender in the middle crab cake poppers are a bite-sized remake of my favorite crab cake recipe. Big flakes of jumbo lump crab meat commingle with finely chopped veggies and aromatics for the most flavorful party poppers.
There’s minimal filler in this recipe, so the sweet flavor of the crab can really shine. Make a batch of crab cake poppers for your next holiday party, bridal shower, or book club — I promise you won’t go home with leftovers.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Choose jumbo lump crab meat for its big, flaky lumps. Those lumps of crab meat are the best part! You want to be able to taste the juicy, sweet lumps of crab even in bite-sized appetizers like this one.
Fresh crab meat delivers the best texture and flavor. I don’t recommend using frozen crab meat to make these mini crab cakes. Stick with the freshest and best quality crab meat you can find.
Don’t overwork the crab cake mixture. You want everything to be combined, but you don’t want to shred the lump crab meat by mistake.
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Crab meat — Fresh jumbo lump crab meat is the best for this recipe.
- Butter — I prefer sautéing the veggies in butter for added richness.
- Vegetables — Just a few tablespoons each of green onion, red bell pepper, and celery add flavor and texture without upstaging the crab.
- Egg — Binds the poppers together so they don’t fall apart when fried.
- Herbs and spices — Fresh parsley, mustard powder, and a pinch of cayenne flavor the poppers.
- Worcestershire sauce — Provides a deep, savory flavor.
- Mayonnaise — Helps to bind the poppers together, and also adds some fat to keep them moist and flavorful.
- Panko breadcrumbs — These Japanese breadcrumbs are super light and they crisp up beautifully when fried.
- Oil — I prefer using canola oil for frying the mini crab cake poppers.
- Spicy aioli — I made my own using mayo, lemon juice, garlic, and chili sauce.
How to Make Crab Cake Poppers
- Prep the crab meat. You’ll want to rinse the crab meat and then carefully pick through it to remove any bits of shell.
- Sauté the vegetables until softened. If you diced them very finely, this should only take about 5 minutes.
- Make the crab cake mixture. I suggest whisking together the wet ingredients before combining with the vegetables, crab meat, and some of the panko. This prevents over mixing, which can shred the crab.
- Roll and coat in panko. A small cookie scoop makes quick work of shaping the crab cake mixture into 1-inch balls.
Heidi’s Tip: Refrigerate the crab balls for 30 minutes before frying. This firms them up and prevents them from falling apart in the hot oil.
- Fry until golden brown. Pour the oil into a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. The poppers need to be fried for about 3 minutes per side, or until golden and crispy. Take care to fry them in batches so they cook evenly and you don’t lower the temperature of the oil.
How to Make Ahead
- Prep ahead, refrigerate, then fry. The crab mixture can be prepped, made into rolls with panko, and refrigerated up to 24 hours in advance. Fry when ready to serve so they’re nice and hot.
- Fry, freeze, and reheat. You can prepare the crab poppers ahead, cool, and freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat from frozen, preheat oven to 400°F, place the frozen poppers on a baking sheet and bake for about 12-15 minutes or until heated through. Or, pop in the air fryer and bake at 375°F for 10-12 minutes or until heated through.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Crab Cake Poppers Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup green onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons red bell pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons celery, diced
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon parsley minced
- 1 egg
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 ½ cup canola oil
For the Spicy Aioli
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili sauce
Instructions
- Clean the crab of any shell bits. Rinse 1 pound lump crab meat and pick through for any shells. Drain well, add to large bowl, and set aside.
- Sauté the vegetables. In a medium sauté pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter with ¼ cup finely chopped green onion, ¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper, and ¼ cup finely chopped celery. Season with ½ teaspoon Kosher salt and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the vegetables soften. Add the cooked vegetables and 1 tablespoon minced parsley to the bowl with the crab.
- Combine the crab cake ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk 1 egg, ¼ cup mayonnaise, ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ¼ teaspoon dry mustard, and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper. Stir the mayo mixture into the crab mixture then fold in ¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs.
- Roll the poppers in crispy panko. Spread the remaining panko on a small plate. Spoon the crab meat mixture into 1-inch balls, then roll in the remaining Panko breadcrumbs to coat.
- Refrigerate the crab balls for 30 minutes.
- Fry the crab cake poppers. Heat 1 cup of canola oil, or about ½ inch of oil, in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Fry the crab cake poppers in batches, making sure not to crowd pan. Gently turn the balls every minute or two, so all sides are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes each side. Drain poppers on paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with the rest of the crab cake balls, adding more oil to the skillet as necessary. Serve hot with the spicy aioli.
For the Spicy Aioli
- Mix the aioli ingredients. In a small bowl, mix ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 pressed garlic clove, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 clove garlic, and 1 teaspoon chili sauce until smooth, and serve on the side as a dipping sauce.
Nutrition
Ingredient Swaps and Substitutions
- Replace the fresh parsley with basil, tarragon, or thyme.
- Use regular breadcrumbs instead of panko (the poppers will just be a little heavier).
- Swap in creme fraiche or sour cream for mayonnaise.
- Serve the poppers with tartar sauce instead of spicy aioli.
What to Serve With Crab Cake Poppers
- Spicy garlic aioli (recipe provided above)
- Tartar sauce
- Lemon wedges
- Remoulade
- Romesco sauce
Storage Tips
Leftover poppers will last up to 4 days in the fridge. Gently reheat in the microwave or oven. I don’t recommend freezing these.
More Easy Seafood Appetizers
- Maryland-Style Crab Cakes
- Hot Crab Dip
- Crab Salad Stuffed Avocados
- Homemade Shrimp Cocktail
- Brown Butter Seared Scallops
- The Best Clam Dip
- Salmon Cakes
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This looks quite fabulous! And with all those flavours, I can imagine it would be beautifully fragrant and tasty too :)
Abby
The good news is, I think all the bread is on the Italy’s table, not Canada’s…. which makes much more sense :)
Jackie {The Beeroness}
I love this post! And I’m with you, words of affirmation is my love language. Or maybe it’s crab poppers. I’ll have to have a few just to be sure.
Bev @ Bev Cooks
Those craaaaaaaaaab caaaaaaaaaaaake pooooooooooppers. I die.
Lindsay
Thanks for sharing my peppadews! Poppers + Peppadews = love. :)
Celestine
I loved this post.
Am truly sorry about #3 though. I too have fur babies and they ARE my children (but not in a creepy obsessed way).
And just between you and I; I could probably use a couple of acrylic big toe nails. What’s up with that? I’m just grateful that its Ugg season and no longer sandal season.
hee hee. we all have our little secrets. And thank you for the sweet words for my sweet Gigi. She’s the best girl ever.
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious
Great post! Gnarly nail issue :( I’m so stoked at the number of great food bloggers I’ve met, genuine people who really share the same passions and crazy quirks about blogging as I do :)
You’re one in a bundle of many Gerry, quirks and all.
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious
Dude, Greys Anatomy? Man oh man – you know I’m obsessed with them, right? I mean their show is terrible now (it kind of plummeted after season 4-5ish) but still, I love them. I also love that you’re a gangster with your hubbie. I always end my sentences in “dog” when talking to Jason.
Liz @Life Made Sweet
OMG! Love Languages are amazing and when you discover them and learn about yours and those you love all your relationships make so much more sense! I love that you blogged about them! These crab poppers look amazing too!
Becky @ A Calculated Whisk
This is such a fun post! The crab cake poppers look amazing and might be the BEST reason I’ve found to finally pull the trigger and buy a cookie dough scoop! Here are a few things about me:
1. While living in Houston for four years, I managed to adopt three stray kittens, one of whom crossed in front of my car as I was driving to happy hour one particularly happy Friday. Their names are Cupcake, Otto, and Furpaws.
2. My favorite karaoke song (and song of all time) is Beast of Burden.
3. I discovered recently that potato chips dipped in caramel sauce are pretty much the best snack ever. Now I’m trying to decide if that’s enough of a recipe to post on my blog…
I have two favorite potato chip dippers: cottage cheese and as a teen it was ketchup. Who knew? Your babies sound adorable :)
Nannette Furrer
Can these crab poppers be made in advance and then warmed in the oven the next day?
Yes, absolutely Nanette!
Christy @ My Invisible Crown
Ok. This is FUN!!
1. I prefer pencils over pens when I;m writing.
2. I am a voracious reader! Sometimes I have 3-4 books going at once.
3. I iron everything I wear besides underwear.
4. My maiden name is 12 letters long and has a Z right smack in the middle.
5. I am in LOVE with these Crab Cake Poppers! :)
Hey! Thanks for playing. I suck at ironing and I prefer making my to-do lists in pencil too. But I”m a crazy pen person, and will only use one kind!
Patti
I think I know all those things. I love you, your posts your stories and your fabulous recipes. Can hardly wait to try the crab poppers, anything with crab grabs my attention. Congratulations to Heather on her cookbook. I know all about those bladders behind the eyeballs, wonderful, inspiring video. Xo
kelley
I know you snore (duh), I would have picked orange as your favorite color, I know you do tubs, I know about pup (hugs), and the gangsta thing just makes me smile. I also know you’re compassionate, funny, smart, and generous. Happy weekend, friend! xo
Abbe@This is How I Cook
It took me about two seconds to realize what you meant by bladder behind the eyeballs. Yep. That’s me! Nice post!
JC Carter
I loved learning some quirky things about you! How did you lose your big toenail so many times? I’ve lost them both only once and I’m telling you they do not look the same.
Too many years of sports and jamming the ends into shoes!
natalie @ wee eats
I love this post and it’s great to learn some new and interesting things about you! I spent some time at the American Club last year (I think?) for a work conference and it was DELIGHTFUL. They actually had their first snow while we were there (which was super awesome bc I don’t get to see a lot of snow in Phoenix, AZ)
Those crab cake poppers are making me DROOL LIKE CRAZY! Seriously. I’m going to need a mop in a minute here… and those bacon and egg breakfast pies are PERFECT for our next brunch. Love it!
And seriously? Greys? Spelling? and eBook awards? You’re basically a movie star. SO AWESOME!
Now excuse me while I go to vote for you… <3
Thanks for the vote, Heather will be so happy if she wins!
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
What fab little poppers!
Mother Omega
I am happy to say I knew 8 out of the 10 about you!! I LOVE THIS POST and I LOVE YOU!!
Ha! After 20 years, you should! And I love you right back.
Jenna
You are so stinkin cool!! Loved this post and those crab cakes are driving me mad!! I need 1 or 20 now! Yummmm
Tieghan
I really loved reading every word of this post! I love learning about you and jeez, I never new you were a celeb favorite too. I mean Greys’ and Tory Spelling? So cool!
Oh and the crab cakes look amazing!
Let’s just say I have a past that dealt with a lot of celebs. One day over a glass of wine…once you turn of age of course.
Louisa [Living Lou]
Love this post! I, too am always the “interviewer” I love learning about other people and I always have so many questions. I’ve never thought about what my “love language” is – will have to do some digging. Thanks for a thought provoking read this morning – and will have to try the crab cakes,
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl
I love this post!! You are an interviewer and I love that a about it! It also made me feel like less of a stalker when I asked for the story behind the name smudge within 5 minutes of meeting you. :-) And, you really are great with words of affirmation. For example, I’ll never forget that you described me as “charisma to spare.” :) xoxoxo