Crab Balls

Crab Balls are a delicious, one bite seafood appetizer that everyone is sure to love. Our crab balls are baked, not fried, and they couldn’t be easier to make. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and your friends and family are sure to be impressed!

Why We Love These Crab Balls

Not only are we sharing this easy Crab Ball Recipe with you, we have lots of helpful tips and details to make this recipe look and taste it’s best!

However, if you’re ready to dive right into making these popcorn balls, scroll down to the recipe card or click the “jump to recipe” button above the first photo.

• Delicious Party Food: Crab Balls are always a hit at parties and holidays. These bite-sized appetizer make it easy to enjoy the food while having a hand free for a glass of wine or cocktail.
• Easy To Make: These crab balls are incredibly easy to make – and they can be made ahead of time.
• Affordable: Making your own seafood appetizers at home instead of ordering out is much more affordable. This recipe also uses claw meat or “special” meat instead of lump crab meat which is much more expensive.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• 1 pound crab meat: Special or claw meat, not lump.
• Diced bell peppers: Any color that you like.
• Diced onions: Sweet yellow onions.
• Worcestershire sauce: For added flavor.
• Dijon mustard: A slightly spicy, smooth mustard.
• Mayonnaise: For flavor and to help hold the crab balls together.
• Fresh chopped parsley: For a bright, fresh flavor.
• Cracker crumbs: You can buy as is or use crushed crackers like Ritz or Saltines
• Egg: Beaten
• Kosher salt: We prefer kosher for it’s coarser grins and less “salty” flavor.
• Old Bay seasoning: Classic seasoning for seafood recipes.
• Fresh black pepper to taste

How To Make Crab Balls

1. Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and fold together gently with a spatula until they are combined. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
2. Form the mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
3. Brush the crab balls with melted butter and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Tips For Best Results:

1. Make sure to pick through the crab meat before using. There are often small pieces of shells left behind that you’ll want to remove before making the crab balls.
2. Use claw meat or “special” crab meat instead of lump crab meat. There’s no need to spend the extra money on lump crab meat for these seafood appetizers, and actually the smaller texture of claw meat or special crab meat is preferred for allowing the crab balls to hold their shape.
3. Chill the crab meat mixture at least 30 minutes to allow the cracker crumbs to absorb any excess liquid in the filling. This step also allows the flavors to blend together for a better tasting crab ball. 30 minutes is fine, but a couple of hours is even better if you have the time.
4. Taste the mixture before adding the egg to make sure the spices are to your liking. Adjust with more salt, pepper or Old Bay seasoning if needed.

What Do You Serve With Crab Balls?

If you’re a purist, a squeeze of lemon will enhance the flavor of these crab balls wonderfully. But if you like a sauce to dip in, we’ve got some ideas for you! Try a remoulade sauce or a similar sauce like a Yum Yum sauce or even a Bang Bang Sauce.

For a more classic flavor, a creamy aioli will also taste delicious. Some prefer a simple cocktail sauce for dipping, but it all depends on what you like!

Looking For More Crab Recipes?

• Perfect Crab Cakes
• Crab Puffs
• Tex-Mex Crab Dip
• Crab Salad Appetizers (low carb recipe)
• Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
• Hot Crab Dip

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