Can You Freeze Crab Cakes? (The Complete Guide）

Have you eaten crab cakes before? This is a dish that you can use as appetizers or for meals and several things can also be done with them. Anyone fond of eating crab will also find crab cakes delightful. In case you are not fond of crabs, you may still find delight in eating crab cakes because they are more than ordinary crabs and they are made in several ways coated in breading which helps to bring them together in the proper way.

Crab cakes can be considered versatile and very delicious and you may want to ask whether or not they can be stored inside the freezer. Crab cakes can be frozen and they can be frozen both uncooked and cooked but to get the best outcome, you are recommended to freeze them uncooked or raw.

What we want to check out in this article is to see how you can freeze your crab cakes by checking out the details concerning the process that lead up to how you will freeze and the expected outcome after they have been frozen. You are recommended to keep reading to get everything we have in stock for you about how you can freeze your crab cakes.

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The Complete Guide to Freezing Crab Cakes

This is a delighted-seafood that is common in the area near the US coast. You are most likely to find crab cakes referred to as Maryland crab cakes. Generally, crab cakes are very popular in areas of the bay surrounding Virginia and Maryland but they have now become very popular throughout the United States and other countries as well.

Crabmeat mixed with other sets of ingredients is used to make crab cakes. The ingredients could sometime vary but most times, the most popular things you will find include mayonnaise, mustard, bread crumbs, seasoning, and eggs. You may also find onions, additional vegetables, or other spice. They are often rounded into different patties and seared inside the pan unto perfection. Crab cakes are usually served together with a variety of sauces, most especially tartar sauce. They can as well be given a lemon juice squeezed right off your stovetop and this is quite common too.

Making Crab Cakes

It is not a complicated process to make crab cake with the hardest thing being acquiring the excellent crab meat that you will use when making them. The best option is to find fresh crabs in coastal areas, if you are a resident of that area, you will enjoy it. However, if you are not living in the area, you will have to use whatever you can find available.

When you are dealing with crab cakes, the most important thing is to ensure you enjoy your crab meat and also get your crab meat that is mixed with some extra ingredients that would bring out its flavor and can also help to individualize your dish if you don’t like crab fan.

It is usually unique when making crab cakes and it is possible to use a little or perhaps, as much of crab meat you may want to use to make your flavors. Furthermore, it is also possible to personalize the crab cakes by using your seasonings and some other additions into your crab cake.

We have a very simple recipe that will give you a good insight into how you can make your crab cakes. Don’t forget that there are several other recipes aside this one and your crab cakes can be made using hundreds of methods. The recipe below is just an example:

The ingredients needed include oil, lemon zest, fresh parsley, bread crumbs, any seasoning you want, ground mustard or Dijon, beaten eggs, mayonnaise, and crab meat.
You can begin the process by mixing the mustard, mayonnaise, eggs, and seasoning. Ensure you don’t add your crab just yet so that you will not overwork it.
Immediately you have mixed the first base, stir in lemon zest, parsley, bread crumbs, and crab meat. Until it is well combined, gently fold your mixture.
You should then shape your mixture into something of small patties by using up to ½ cup of your mixture per one. You should then set them over your baking sheet or your plate.
The crab cakes that you have prepared can then be allowed to refrigerate for one hour for them to set and hold together when you are cooking them.
Allow the oil to heat inside your non-stick pan on medium heat for proper heating.
You should then cook your crab cakes until they start to become lightly brown and this should be done between 3 to 5 minutes. More oil could be added into the pan if you need to.
Proceed to flip your crab cakes for 3 to 5 minutes so that the second side can become brown.
You may then squeeze the lemon juice over your crab cake and then serve to enjoy it.

Freezing and Storage of Crab Cakes

We have two approaches you can use to freeze crab cakes and it is either you prepare them in advance and then freeze them uncooked or raw get them frozen after you have cooked them. If you can, it is recommended to freeze them raw even though either of the methods will work just fine.

Freezing Cooked Crab Cakes

Leave your crab cakes until it becomes cool at room temperature but it should not be allowed to sit out for over an hour.
Individually wrap the crab cakes either in foil or plastic wrap. You should consider foil because you can allow them to remain in it when you are ready to reheat them.
Put your crab cakes inside an air-tight container or your heavy-duty freezer bag so that they will be kept together.
Seal the package and don’t forget to label and date it.
The crab cake can stay inside your freezer for about 3 months this way.
You can thaw your crab cakes when you want to use and this can be done inside the fridge overnight before you cook and serve it.

Freezing Raw Crab Cakes

You are recommended to pre-freeze your crab cakes so that you can keep them from falling off. Use parchment paper to line your baking sheet and lay your cakes in single layers. You should then freeze them uncovered for two hours.
Remove them from your freezer and individually wrap each of the cakes with plastic wrap before you then put them as wrapped inside your heavy-duty freezer bag or air-tight container.
Seal the package and don’t forget to label and date it.
The crab cake can stay inside your freezer for about 3 months this way.
You can thaw your crab cakes when you want to use and this can be done inside the fridge overnight before you cook and serve it.

Using Crab Cakes After Freezing

You can thaw the crab cakes overnight inside the refrigerator if they have been frozen uncooked. You could then sear them inside your pan just like the recipe shared above. We consider this as the best method to use to heat the raw crab cakes after you have frozen them. If your crab cakes were frozen cooked, you should bake them so that you can get them reheated so that the character and the quality of the crab cakes will be best preserved. Check the instructions below to reheat your cooked type of crab cakes:

Use foil to wrap the crab cakes if you didn’t use foil to wrap them for freezing.
Allow the oven to preheat to a temperature of 375°F.
Lay the crab cakes in single layers on your baking sheet.
You can then bake them until the middle is heated fully or for up to 15 minutes.
Unwrap and then serve to enjoy them.

Can You Freeze Crab Cakes? (The Complete Guide）