Eat Together, Make Life Delicious...

With the Holidays around the corner, it's always good to have a few recipes that take literary no time at all. Crab Balls are super easy, especially if you are starting with frozen 2-ounce crab cakes...however if you want to make the crab cakes from scratch, I've got a super easy recipe too, which I put below. Don't forget to leave a few crab balls plain without the topping, as shown in the picture.

I grew up down at the shore on the Chesapeake Bay and some of my best memories there are about crab balls, or in my family pronounced something like creb bowls...

My grandmother Edna made crab balls all the time when I was a kid. She'd fry hers in butter instead of baking them, which works, but does add a few calories. If you go that route, fry the balls until golden brown and then pop them in the oven on a sheet pan with the toppings for about 5 to 7 minutes. Bake them just enough for the toppings to melt on to the balls...

And as my grandmother once said, “creb bowls they are the best part of the crab!”

Edna's Crab Balls
6 to 8 Servings

For the Crab Balls:
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pinch cayenne (if you like it spicy, an extra pinch, but be careful!)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Optional: 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning
1 pound lump crab meat, picked over for shells and cartilage
Your Favorite Toppings, such as tartar sauce, marinara sauce, pesto, mayo, herb butter

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a medium bowl, combine the egg, mayonnaise, breadcrumbs, salt, cayenne, lemon juice, thyme, parsley, and optional seafood seasoning. Mix well. Gently fold in the crabmeat. Avoid over-blending. Form the mixture into 1-inch balls and place them on a sheet pan. Cover them with your favorite toppings.

Bake the crab balls for 15 minutes until golden brown. Serve on a decorative platter.

Important Note: to save even more time, prepare the crab balls in advance and cook them from a frozen state. They may require another 5 minutes in the oven to make sure they are piping hot!

Labels: Crab Balls, Easy Recipes, Holidays