Crispy Crab Balls
My crispy crab balls are crunchy on the outside, velvety smooth and packed with crab inside. A classic cocktail party appetizer that's great for date nights in, and game day nibbling, too.
Servings: 36 balls
Calories: 86kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb crabmeat
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise, I used Duke's
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Lousiana hot sauce, or more to taste
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- pinch salt, to taste
- 2/3 cup bread crumbs or cracker crumbs Note: I used Ritz crackers that I blitzed into crumbs in my food processor.
crumb coat
- 1 cup bread crumbs or cracker crumbs Note: use what you love, or get creative: I used Corn Flakes crumbs, but panko crumbs work well too.
- 4 Tbsp melted butter, for brushing
dipping sauce, optional
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise, I used Duke's
- 2 Tbsp hot sauce, or more to taste
- pinch salt
- squeeze of lemon juice
Instructions
- If necessary, drain your crabmeat well. If it is very lumpy, break the larger pieces down gently with a fork, or your fingers. Note: while you would never do this for crab cakes, we need to break up any lumps of crab for these small balls.
- In a large mixing bowl, put the mayonnaise, egg, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, hot sauce, Old Bay, and salt and whisk together until well combined.
- Add the crab and breadcrumbs to the bowl and gently fold until everything is evenly incorporated. It will be quite wet and loose.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but you can leave it longer if you like.
- Preheat oven to 450F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Put the coating crumbs in a bowl and melt the butter.
- Use a small scoop to portion out rounded tablespoons of the crab mixture and set them on the baking sheets. If your mixture is so wet that you cannot form it into little mounds, then go back and add a bit more crumbs to firm it up. You want a very moist mixture but it should be able to hold together loosely. When you are finished scooping all the crab, go back and roll each little mound into a round ball.
- Roll each ball in the crumbs to coat thoroughly. I like to use my left hand to move the wet crab balls and keep my right hand dry for coating them with the crumbs. You can re-roll the balls round as you coat them.
- Place back on the baking sheets. Use a pastry brush to dab some melted butter over the top of each ball.
- Bake for 15 minutes in the center of the oven. You may need to bake them in batches for best results. If your oven runs hot you may want to turn down the temperature by 25F or so.
- Serve the crab balls hot, with sauce and lemon wedges. They will be soft and delicate, so move them carefully.
Notes
- This recipe makes 36 crab balls, so at 3 per serving, this will feed up to 12 people. I'm guessing, however, that most hungry folks will down more than 3, so plan accordingly.
- Any leftovers can be gently reheated and served over salad for dinner the next night.
Nutrition
Serving: 1ball | Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 198mg | Potassium: 41mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 55IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg