Sweet Corn Crab Cakes with Lemon Dijon Dipping Sauce: Traditional crab cakes, air fried and lightened up with the extra crunch of sweet corn kernels.

All about these sweet corn crab cakes

These crab cakes are very traditional, but the addition of sweet corn kernels really adds an extra element of flavor. These crab cakes are air fried; even though this recipe doesn’t call for oil or butter, it’s not lacking in flavor. Mix jumbo lump crab meat with panko breadcrumbs, an egg, almond milk, sweet corn kernels, scallions, and seasoned salt. Air fry these crab cakes for a crispy outside texture and tender inside. The lemon dijon dipping sauce adds an extra level of flavor to this already-delicious dish. Serve these as an appetizer, or pair these with potatoes and a vegetable for a delicious and filling main course.

I love making these crab cakes in the summer time, especially since I can avoid turning on my oven and use my air fryer. The options for side dishes are plentiful here, but I really love serving these over mixed greens (I use the lemon dijon dipping sauce as a dressing over the greens). They pair perfectly with potatoes or French fries, too. It’s the ultimate summer dinner.

What you’ll need to make sweet corn crab cakes

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:

jumbo lump crab meat
panko breadcrumbs
sweet corn kernels (frozen or canned works fine here)
- my favorite corn is frozen corn from Trader Joe’s
an egg
almond milk
a lemon
scallions
seasoned salt
light mayo
dijon mustard

Buying and working with crab meat

If you have never worked with or purchased crab meat before, do not be afraid. It’s probably one of the easiest ingredients you will ever work with. It is sold in a can, believe it or not. Even the highest quality lump crab sold at seafood markets is sold in a can.

This recipe calls for 16 oz of crab meat, which is typically the size of the cans. One can will be perfect for this recipe.

Before you add crab meat to any recipe, the general rule of thumb is to use your fingers and feel the meat. You want to get into the meat and feel around for any pieces of shell. Even the highest quality crab might have a stray piece or two of shell.

After that, there is no other preparation required. You can just dump the picked-through crab meat right into your mixing bowl and get to work! Like I said, it’s one of the easiest ingredients to work with. Once you use it, you’ll find yourself always wanting to make it again.

How to make sweet corn crab cakes

Grab a mixing bowl and get to work! All you need to do is combine the lump crab meat, corn, egg, milk, the zest of a lemon, seasoned salt, and chopped scallions. I find that using my hand as a mixer works best here, similar to mixing burger meat.

Mix the ingredients thoroughly, and then form equal-sized balls. They should be approximately 1/2 cup each in size. Once you form balls with the mixture, press them to form patties and place them to the side on a plate or cutting board.

Spray the basket of your air fryer with cooking spray; for a recipe like this, I like using olive oil spray or avocado oil spray. Working in batches, gently transfer three of the patties to the air fryer basket. Spray the tops again with your cooking spray. Air fry at 400F for 15 minutes. Flip the patties halfway and spray the tops again.

Note: you will lose some corn kernels along the way, and that is totally normal! Don’t worry if they don’t come out perfect.

What if I don’t have an air fryer?

Any recipe that calls for an air fryer can be done in a convection oven as well- the same time and temperature guidelines apply. Just make sure you keep your eye on them.

When I use the oven instead of the air fryer, I also like to make sure that I use a wire rack fitted on top of my baking sheet. This creates space underneath the wire rack, which acts similar to an air fryer when it comes to air circulation.

Making the dipping sauce and serving

To make the dipping sauce, combine the light mayo, dijon, and the juice of the lemon. Whisk together to combine thoroughly. To serve, place the crab cakes on a platter lined with mixed greens, and drizzle the dipping sauce on top. Or, if you prefer, you can arrange the crab cakes on a platter and serve the dipping sauce in the middle.