Swap Breadcrumbs For This Cheesy Snack In Crab Cakes And Taste The Difference

Whether you live on the coastline or you're a bit more inland, there's nothing quite like a freshly fried, perfectly seasoned crab cake. Recipes for crab cakes are super-forgiving, and as long as you have high-quality crab, you can generally make them work with the ingredients you have on hand. This means that it's okay to get a little bit creative — especially when it comes to using super-flavorful breadcrumb substitutes to take the taste of your crab cakes to the next level.

Our current breadcrumb substitute obsession: Cheez-Its. The lunchbox staple is perfect for crushing up and mixing into your favorite crab cake recipe. Cheez-Its are salty and savory and add just the right amount of cheesy flavor to elevate crab cakes without overpowering the delicately sweet flavor of your favorite type of crab. While you can't go wrong with the classic Cheez-It variety, you can also try one of the many flavor options in your grocery store (we're big fans of the Extra Cheesy and White Cheddar varieties). Simply pop your go-to Cheez-It variety into a plastic baggie, smash it up with a rolling pin, add it to your crab mixture instead of breadcrumbs, and you're good to go.

You've got your smashed-up Cheez-Its ready for your crab-cake mix — now, it's time to make sure you're following other pro tips so that you're getting the flavorful, tender end result you want. To make restaurant-quality crab cakes at home, it's key to start with tender lump crab. Fresh crab meat is great if you're able to swing it, but if not, no worries — canned crab still makes a great crab cake and offers a nice canvas for other flavors (like your favorite variety of Cheez-Its). No matter what type of flavors and textures you're adding, you'll want to be sure to monitor the ratio of wet ingredients and dry ingredients to keep your crab cakes from falling apart. Take it easy on the Cheez-Its at first, as you want to make sure the crab in your crab cakes is the star of the show. 

When it comes to cooking your crab cakes, you'll want to make sure you're creating a golden-brown crust, and you've got a few options to make it happen. You can use the classic method of frying up your crab cakes in a pan with a bit of hot olive oil. You can also pop crab cakes into the air fryer for a super-crispy result (and minimal cleanup). No matter what method you choose, be sure to keep an eye on your crab cakes as they cook — you want them to get a yellow-golden crust without overbrowning.