These gluten-free crab cakes are going to be a hit at your next party, whether you are serving them at a dinner party or for the big game. Paired with a chipotle yogurt dipping sauce, these make great appetizers for any event. While crab cakes traditionally have breadcrumbs or crackers mixed in, this is made gluten free with Success Tri-Color Boil-in-Bag Quinoa for a tasty, nutritious, and gluten free alternative.
These gluten-free crab cakes are made with traditional seasoning of mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and Old Bay. With quinoa being as versatile as it is, it makes an excellent binder that lets the natural flavor of the crab shine.
What can I use instead of breadcrumbs for my crab cakes?
Quinoa is not only an excellent source of fiber, protein, and all nine essential amino acids, but it works really well as a binder in most recipes that call for breadcrumbs. Quinoa is surprisingly versatile and absorbs spices making it a great gluten-free binder option. This Success Tri-Color Quinoa is a great option for easy to cook quinoa.
Quinoa can also be used in replacement for breadcrumbs in meatballs and meatloaves. Make sure to allow your quinoa to cool before mixing. If you add hot quinoa to your egg mixture, you can heat the eggs which is not ideal for binding.
Baking Crab Cakes vs. Pan Frying Crab Cakes
My preferred method of cooking crab cakes is baking then broiling instead of pan frying. Crab cakes can be pretty delicate. In order to make them hold up to pan frying, you have to add more filler ingredients or breadcrumbs. My ideal crab cake has few fillers to really let the crab shine. Less filler means more delicate crab cakes.
It’s also just a lot easier to prep these on a baking sheet for parties. I do not want to individually pan-fry twenty crab cakes when I’m hosting.
Crab Cake Dipping Sauce
Traditionally, you can serve crab cakes with tartar sauce, but I like to kick it up a notch. I serve my crab cakes with a simple chipotle cream sauce that carries just a bit of a smoky kick to really let these shine. The sauce is easy to make and can be assembled while the crab cakes are in the oven.
Allow crab cakes to chill before cooking
Because crab cakes are delicate, you want to chill them for at least thirty minutes but preferably an hour to let them firm up. Some people put the whole bowl in the refrigerator, but I prefer to scoop into mounds before chilling. This allows them to chill faster and helps keep the shape.
Don’t worry if your crab cakes are a little loose when you scoop them out, you can reshape them after cooling before they go in the oven.
Yield: 20
Gluten-Free Crab Cakes with Quinoa
These gluten-free crab cakes are going to be a hit at your next party, whether you are serving them at a dinner party or for the big game. Paired with a chipotle yogurt dipping sauce, these make great appetizers for any event.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Ingredients
Gluten-Free Crab Cakes
- 16 oz. lump crab meat
- 1/2 cup cooked Success Tricolor Quinoa, cooled
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
Chipotle Cream Sauce
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1-2 tablespoons chipotle in adobo
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine mayonnaise, mustard, Old Bay, Worcestershire sauce, egg, and juice of half of lemon in a bowl.
- Fold in cooked quinoa and crab meat.
- Divide into twenty mini crab cakes and chill in the refrigerator for thirty minutes to an hour.
- Preheat oven to 450℉.
- Grease baking sheet with cooking spray and bake crab cakes for 13-15 minutes until golden brown.
- While the crab cakes bake, combine the ingredients of the chipotle cream sauce.
- After the crab cake bake, broil on high for 1-2 minutes until golden brown at the top.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10
Serving Size:
2 crab cakes
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 131Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 130mgSodium: 347mgCarbohydrates: 6gNet Carbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 12g
