Have you noticed the waffled food trend that’s been happening on Instagram recently? Apparently, it’s easy and quick to cool a whole variety of foods in a waffle iron, not just batter. I thought that was a great idea. I wanted to give it a try with some of the foods that aren’t very healthy due to the fact they’re fried in oil. The first one that I really wanted to try was crab cakes.
Traditional crab cakes aren’t all that healthy for you. They’re loaded with crab, cracker crumbs, mayonnaise and eggs and then deep fried in oil. Delicious, yes, but not a great combination for watching your daily point totals.
I accepted the challenge. I thought I’d try the crab cakes in the waffle iron instead of frying them in oil. That helps with fat, and calories, but what about flavor? A big part of the flavor of crab cakes comes from the frying process. If you just bake them, it’s not the same and the flavor isn’t as deep and rich.
Thankfully, all you have to do to make them just as delicious without the frying is to make them in your waffle iron! In fact, making them in your waffle iron kills two birds with one stone. It gets you a delicious, crisp flavor and it solves the problem of trying to make sure the tender cakes stay together while cooking them. I always seem to break off pieces and end up with floaties in my oil, but this fixes that.
Cooking up the crab cakes in the waffle iron was definitely fun and something that is considerably less messy (and dangerous) than the hot oil. It’s something that can even be fun for the kids to get in on making crab waffles! Not only was it healthier, cleaner, and less messy, but the waffles also ended up much lighter than when they are pan fried.
I loved the way the flavors work in these crab cakes. I like to keep my seasonings pretty basic since I like to keep the whole recipe simple and let the crab flavor be the crowning achievement. A little bit of Dijon, a little Old Bay, paprika, and some fresh chives and parsley is all you need to really make this recipe delicious. A little lemon juice really helps to set off the crab flavor.
To keep it lighter and lower in points, I only use a little mayonnaise and then fill the rest in with fat free Greek yogurt. It keeps the cakes moist and delicious, gives them enough moisture to stick together but it doesn’t overwhelm the flavor and keeps them relatively low in calories and points.
Whole wheat bread crumbs help to give the crab cakes the body to stick together. I like to use whole wheat to give it a little extra nutritional boost and it’s something that doesn’t impact the flavor at all.
Give this twist on your classic crab cakes a try. You’ll love the crispy and light flavor, and you might even get the kids to try the new waffles – mine did! These were such a success, that I’m looking forward to trying some other foods in the waffle iron. Stay tuned!
Crab Cake Waffles Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Waffle Iron
Ingredients
- 1 lb lump crab meat - (shell pieces removed)
- ⅓ cup whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp fat free Greek yogurt - (plain)
- 1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- ½ tsp paprika
- 2 tbsp fresh chives - (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley - (finely chopped)
- Juice from 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients, except for the crab meat, in a large bowl. Once combined, slowly fold in the crab meat.
- Using your hands, gently shape the mixture into flat, round patties.
- Set waffle iron to high, and mist with cooking spray.
- Working 1 patty at a time, place each one in the center of the iron and close. Cook until edges are crisped and golden brown, about 3 minutes.
5 Comments
So we made these tonight, but didn’t have any Old Bay. I added Worscestershire for some flavor and they were awesome. My 16 year old daughter LOVED making them and it was a hoot! Anyway, thank you for a great recipe and cooking idea!
So glad you liked them!!
I am always so tempted to try things like these, but I never know what to pair it with!
Any suggestions on side dishes that would go well?
Salad and/or veggies.
So I`m thinking my panini grill would work much the same ;-)