Fried Crab Balls with creme fraiche, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, spring onions and a touch of lemon, some delicious party appetizers that are golden and crispy on the outside, but juicy and delicious on the inside. The crab balls are quick and easy to make, and can be served at any family gathering or celebration.

Finger food makes the perfect choice for a stress-free party, as they are usually mess free as well, and it's makes it easy to clean up afterwards, rather than worrying about a mountain of dishes that need washing up.
And with the festive season coming up before we know it, fish and seafood become very popular choices regardless if someone has embraced a pescatarian lifestyle or simply enjoy some fine dishes.
Seafood dishes can be rather fancy, hence why they make a great party food, whether it's just for friends and families, or for some posh guests that need impressing with gourmet bites.
And these crab balls are incredibly scrumptious and great for such special occasions. They might look complicated and quite pricy, but they are actually really easy to put together, and budget friendly too.
If you enjoy crab meat, you should also give these crab cakes with tartar sauce and hot crab dip a try, they are absolutely delicious.
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Ingredients used

- crab meat - I used half white crab meat and half mixed crab meat, you can use either or, but I find the mix rather delicious
- creme fraiche - adds a nice fresh kick to the fried balls
- cream cheese - it's rich and creamy, and works really well with the crab meat
- spring onions - add colour and balance out the richness of the creme cheese
- lemon juice - for a refreshing touch
- cheddar cheese - it's sharp and delicious, and makes the crab balls nicely cheesy
- salt & pepper - to taste
- egg, flour and breadcrumbs - for coating the balls
- oil - for frying, I prefer a neutral odour like vegetable or sunflower oil
Easy Swaps
The creme fraiche can be swapped for sour cream, if it's more easily available, the difference in taste is minimal.
If you don't have any spring onions, you can swap them for chives, or even a very small regular onion that has been chopped really finely.
The breadcrumbs can be either regular breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs, whatever you have available.
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- in a large mixing bowl, add the crab meat, cheddar cheese, chopped spring onions, creme fraiche, cream cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper
- mix well to combine
- use your hands to shape balls the size of a golf ball
- coat each bowl in flour, shaking well any excess, then egg, and afterwards in breadcrumbs
- arrange the crab balls onto a tray and pop them in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up
- heat up the oil on a medium heat, and fry the crab balls in batches until they are golden
- remove them from the frying pan, and transfer onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil
- serve either warm or cold

Expert tips
Refrigerating the crab balls helps dry out the breadcrumb crust nicely and achieve perfectly fried bites that do not ooze out while frying, and have a uniform colour.
If you are in a rush and do not have time to refrigerate, I would recommend leaving them at room temperature to dry out for at least 5 minutes, it will make frying a lot easier and mess free.
If you want to prepare the crab balls in advance, you can make them, and freeze before frying. When needed, they can be fried from frozen.
Other pescatarian party appetizers

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Crab Balls
Ingredients
- 120 g white crab meat ( 4 oz)
- 120 g mixed crab meat ( 4 oz)
- 3 tablespoon cream cheese
- 3 tablespoon creme fraiche
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 spring onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the crab meat, creme fraiche, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, chopped spring onion, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Mix well to combine all the ingredients into a paste.
- With wet hands, shape balls out of the mixture that have the size of a golf ball.
- Coat each ball in flour, shaking well any excess, then egg, and afterwards in breadcrumbs,.
- Arrange all the crab balls onto a tray and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
- Heat up the oil in a large frying pan, then fry the crab balls in batches until golden, keeping a medium heat to avoid burning them.
- Remove from the frying pan, and arrange the crab balls onto a large plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
- Serve the crab balls either warm or cold.
Video
Notes
- Refrigerating the crab balls helps dry out the breadcrumb crust nicely and achieve perfectly fried bites that do not ooze out while frying, and have a uniform colour.
- If you are in a rush and do not have time to refrigerate, I would recommend leaving them at room temperature to dry out for at least 5 minutes, it will make frying a lot easier and mess free.
- If you want to prepare the crab balls in advance, you can make them, and freeze before frying. When needed, they can be fried from frozen.
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