Recipes

Mini Football Crab Bites.

You know I love a good theme. In fact the only thing I love more than a good theme, is to bring that theme to life with fun food ideas. Weekend football viewing is sort of a big deal around here, and so I’m always thinking of fun ways to make snacks for these cozy fall gatherings around the TV (and then I store all of these ideas up for that realllly big football game that happens in February so you guys can make them at home!). I have a new one to add to my files that I can’t wait to share with you here today – mini football crab bites! I mean, these are pretty darn cute, right?

They’re super easy to make – the process is actually just like making a meatball, you mix together some finely chopped veggies and herbs and bread crumbs with an egg and your protein. But instead of using beef in a meatball, you use crab in these crab bites. I used Louis Kemp Crab Delights® — it’s made from real Wild Alaskan Pollock and is a less expensive alternative that still gives you the crab flavor and texture – which means we can make this recipe more often for football snacking! The crab bite gets lots of texture from the Louis Kemp Crab Delights®, and minced bites of carrots, red bell pepper, and fresh herbs. We also packed these bites with flavor by mixing in some Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and a touch of garlic. Once everything in mixed together, they get formed into compact little balls and then shaped into footballs on a baking sheet. The trick to getting these to keep their shape is chilling them down in the freezer for a few minutes to firm them up! They’ll retain their shape and structure better after chilling when you’re crisping them up in a hot skillet. After we cook them up, I like to finish them off with some “football laces” made out of piped sour cream, and serve them with a chipotle sour cream dip. It’s a little bit cool, and a little bit spicy – a perfect combination of these super cute and tasty mini football crab bites! Get the full recipe below:

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Mini Football Crab Bites with Chipotle Dipping Sauce.
Serves: 10 Pieces
 
Ingredients
  • 1 Large Carrot
  • ½ Red Bell Pepper
  • 1 Garlic Clove
  • 1.5 Cups of Louis Kemp Crab Delights®
  • 1 Cup of Panko Breadcrumbs
  • 1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Parsley
  • 1 Tablespoon Minced Scallions
  • 1 Large egg
  • 1 Teaspoon of Dijon Mustard
  • 1 Teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
  • Salt and pepper
  • ½ Cup of Sour Cream, plus more for garnish
  • 1 Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
Instructions
  1. In a food processor, add carrot, red bell pepper, and clove of garlic and pulse to chop for about 30 seconds until veggies are broken down. Add Louis Kemp Crab Delights® and pulse 15 more seconds to combine ingredients.
  2. In a large bowl, combine crabmeat and veggie mixture with breadcrumbs, parsley and scallions; toss lightly to combine.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg with Dijon and Worcestershire.
  4. With a fork, fold in the wet ingredients to the crab mixture, fluffing the ingredients together until just incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Scoop out small 2” ball portions of the crab mixture, and tightly pack it into a ball – squeezing out any excess moisture. Set the crab balls onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and press them down to form the football shape; repeat to create 10-12 crab-bite footballs.
  6. Chill the crab bites for 10 minutes in the freezer to firm up their shape.
  7. While crab bites are chilling, prepare the chipotle dipping sauce. Combine sour cream and chipotle pepper in the food processor; pulse until smooth.
  8. Heat a drizzle olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet and add the crab bites to the pan when hot. Cook for about 5-6 minutes on each side, until crispy golden brown and cooked through.
  9. Once the crab bites are golden brown, remove them from the heat and let them rest on a paper-towel lined baking sheet to cool slightly. Place sour cream in a pastry bag or sandwich baggie, and cut a tiny hole in the corner to pipe the football laces on each football shape with the sour cream.
  10. Serve the cooked football crab bites over a bed of greens, garnish with scallions and the chipotle dipping sauce on the side.

Please note: This post was created in partnership with Louis Kemp Crab Delights®. All opinions, images and content are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support this site!