Appetizer-size crab cakes take on extra personality when you make them with crumbled cornbread. This recipe from Cooking Light calls for browning in the oven, and is perfect for a party. Top each cake with a spoonful of tangy lemon-caper mayo.

For a more classic recipe, try our easy crab cakes.

  • Yield: 16 crab cakes
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 40 mins, plus 1 hr 15 mins cooling time
  • Active: 25 mins

Ingredients (25)

For the lemon-caper mayo:

  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
  • 1 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1 medium lemon)
  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
  • 1 medium garlic clove, minced
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the crab cakes:

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions (white and light green parts only)
  • 1/3 cup finely diced red bell pepper
  • 1/3 cup finely diced green bell pepper
  • 1 medium garlic clove, minced
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1/2 medium lemon)
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 cups crumbled cornbread
  • 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells, pulled into bite-size pieces, and excess water squeezed out (do not rinse)
  • Cooking spray

Instructions

To make the lemon-caper mayo:

  1. In a medium bowl, stir together all of the mayo ingredients until well combined.
  2. Cover and set aside in the fridge.

To make the crab cakes:

  1. Set a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the scallions, red and green bell peppers, garlic, and salt and sauté until the peppers soften slightly, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside to cool, about 15 minutes.
  2. To the cooled pepper mixture, add the mayonnaise, chives, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, hot sauce, and Old Bay. Stir to combine, then stir in the egg. Fold in the crumbled cornbread and crabmeat.
  3. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Scoop the crab cake mixture into 16 evenly sized portions, about 1/4 cup each, and place them on the baking sheets evenly spaced apart, 8 to a sheet. Lightly cover the sheets with plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  4. Heat the oven to 400°F. Arrange one rack in the upper third of the oven and another in the bottom third. Uncover the sheets and bake until the crab cakes are lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and top each cake with 1 teaspoon of the lemon-caper mayo.