Name: Stuffed Lemon Crab Cakes Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 3 tbsp mayonnaise; 2 egg yolks; 16 oz lumb crab meat; 1 tbsp chopped dill; 1 tbsp chopped parsley; 1 tbsp dijon mustard; 3 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice; 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper; 1/4 tsp garlic powder; 1 sleeve original Ritz crackers; 5 large lemons ((6 or 7 small lemons))

This stuffed lemon crab cakes recipe take ‘easy squeezy lemon peasy‘ to the next level! The lemons make the ultimate vessel for this lemon crab cakes recipe that is impeccably moist with a crunchy top. They are citrusy, meaty and the perfect single serve appetizer idea for your next get together!

They will surely make your guests wonder “why haven’t I stuffed a lemon before?!”

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Stuffed lemon crab cakes on a wicker serving tray with purple flowers on the tray and blue flowers in the background. There is a small spoon coming out of the first crab cake

The Delicious Crab Cakes

This moist crab cake recipe is perfectly seasoned and absolutely delicious. Garlic powder and cayenne are the only two spices used. Since the crumbled Ritz crackers have so much flavor and salt, you don’t need to use many seasonings in these baked crab cakes.

Important Tips

Make sure you squeeze some of the lemon juice into the filling! This ties the crab cake and lemon together for a harmonious appetizer.

The most important tip I have for you is to make sure you buy REAL lump crab meat. It is more expensive than the fake stuff, but it is SO much better. Sift through it with your hands before mixing to make sure there are no bits of shell.

Don’t stuff the crab cakes too much ahead of time. Since we scoop out the flesh of the lemon and are left with only the bitter pith, if you stuff them too far ahead of time, that bitterness gets into the crab cakes.

When you are cutting off the bottom of the lemons to help them stand flat, be careful not to slice all of the way through the pith. If you do, they will still cook fine, but some of the crab cake might get onto your guests hands if they are holding them. You can also use a muffin tin to help keep them upright while baking, but you don’t have to!

A bunch of lemons on a cutting board with the bottom sliced off, and a vase filled with folwers in the background in front of blue subway tile

Crab cakes stuffed into lemon shells inside of a muffin tin, with empty lemon shells outside of the tin

Make Ahead Baked Crab Cakes

I think the best part of this creative and unique lemon recipe is that you can prepare them the day before! It really only takes about 15 minutes to prep, but that’s 15 minutes that you could spend chatting with friends or sitting down with a frosty glass of pinot grigio on the day of the event.

To Make Them The Day Before An Event

Make the crab cake mixture in a large bowl, and cover it with a lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
Cut the lemons in half, and scoop out the insides. Slice the bottom of each lemon half so they don’t fall over, being careful not to slice a hole in the bottom.
Place the lemon halves on a baking sheet or casserole dish, cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight.
On the day of, all you have to do is preheat the oven, scoop the crab cake mixture into each lemon and bake them!

overhead shot of ingredients in a bowl, including yellow yolk and parsley, and a sleeve of ritz crackers can be seen in the corner

A metal bowl filled with crab cake stuffing

What To Serve With Crab Cake Stuffed Lemons

This is honestly the best crab cakes recipe, because you really don’t need to serve it with anything! It is great by itself. But if you decide you want a little something more, I highly recommend a side of tartar sauce. Don’t feel like you have to make it from scratch! Since you only need a tiny dollop, store bought is fine.

For the more adventurous palate, you might want to try a little hot sauce! There is nothing like the zing of hot sauce to spice up crab cakes! Garnish them with a little more dill and parsley for that beautiful pop of green that our eye craves, and you’re good to go.

Six crab cake stuffed lemons on an old whisky barrel

What Makes This A Mediterranean Appetizer?

Cirtus orchards are a major contributor to the Mediterranean landscape, and lemons are one of the most important cultivated fruits in the region. Lemon is used almost daily in Mediterranean cuisine and cooking.

Have you heard of ‘Blue Zones’? They are regions of the world thought to have a higher than usual number of people who live longer than average. The island of Ikaria in Greece and the island of Sardinia in Italy are two of the five blue zones, and lemons reign supreme on both of these islands.

So much so that lemons are listed as one of eight key fruits to consume as part of the Blue Zone diet!

And of course, we can’t forget about crab! The Mediterranean diet encourages the consumption of fish and seafood at least twice a week as a lean protein source.

One stuffed lemon crab cake on a vintage tea cup plate, on top of an old whisky barrel, with other crab cake stuffed lemons in the background

Want to learn more about the Mediterranean diet? Check out my ‘What Is The Mediterranean Diet‘ blog post here, with a free Mediterranean foods list printable!

When To Serve Crab Cake Stuffed Lemons

This recipe is one of the best lemon recipes because it can be prepped ahead of time and everyone always loves it! I actually made these crab cake stuffed lemons as elegant seafood appetizers for Christmas, and they were a huge hit!

I also made them at a backyard bbq in the middle of summer. They were a nice change from the traditional hamburgers and hot dogs.

But honestly, you can never go wrong serving this recipe. You don’t even need an occasion!

A wicker serving tray filled with Lemon stuffed crab cakes, with blue and purple flowers in the background

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