Crab cakes are fantastic. The salty, savory seafood snack is a go-to snack for any cocktail party or group event. This is because theyre so easy to make and all you need is some crab meat, bread crumbs, and a few other ingredients, and you have a delicious appetizer ready to serve.

Maybe after the party, you notice that your crab cake plate hasnt been thoroughly finished. A few of the tasty cakes remain, but you have a full stomach and want to go to bed. You might ask yourself, can you freeze crab cakes?

Can You Freeze Crab Cakes?

Can you freeze crab cakes? Yes. Crab cakes are completely freezable. It doesnt matter if they are cooked or uncooked. They will last in your freezer and will still be delicious once you unfreeze them.

However, we recommend freezing crab cakes while theyre still raw. This will give them a better flavor and make it easier to cook them without fear of them drying out.

How to Freeze Crab Cakes

Now that weve answered the question can you freeze crab cakes, lets look into the best way to do it.

Freezing crab cakes is easy, and they can last for months in the freezer. Read our step-by-step guide below to make your crab cakes last the longest.

Step 1: Place Crab Cakes on a Piece of Parchment Paper

This step will help you separate the cakes from one another. One of the biggest problems when freezing baked items is having them getting stuck together. Placing stuck-together frozen items in the oven or microwave will inevitably result in an undercooked portion of the cake.

Place the cakes on parchment paper and try to keep at least two inches between each cake. This will help keep the cakes in one piece by avoiding snatching them out of a crowded plate or bowl.

This is also a way to let your crab cakes cool faster. Putting hot items in the freezer will cause them to expire faster and lose a lot of their flavor.

Step 2: Individually Wrap Each Cake in Plastic Wrap

Plastic wrap is a food preserver’s best buddy. The tight film clings perfectly to itself, making it easier to create a bond with no air trapped inside. Air causes food to rot, so youll want to wrap your cakes as tightly as possible.

Try the rolling method for the finest seal. Start the crab cake at the end of the plastic wrap, then take a little plastic wrap and put it on the cake. Then just roll it until you have wrapped the cake entirely at least three times.

Afterward, you can close the edges and move on to the next step. Be careful while you roll! Once youve wrapped the crab cake, it will maintain its shape pretty well, but if you smash it while rolling, youll have nothing but mush after defrosting.

Step 3: Wrap the Crab Cakes in Aluminum Foil

When it comes to maintaining temperature, theres no better material than aluminum foil. The magical metal contains the internal temperature of the cake, which will make it last longer in the freezer. If your fridge malfunctions, the foil will also keep your cakes cold and preserved.

Take your plastic-wrapped crab cake and place it in the middle of a 10 X 10 piece of aluminum foil. You can follow our rolling method mentioned above, or you can individually fold the corners of the foil over the cake origami style.

Step 4: Store the Crab Cakes in a Container That Won’t Explode in Your Freezer

One of the biggest mistakes people make when freezing food is choosing the wrong container. Certain materials like glass and some plastic cant handle the frigid conditions and become fragile and can even explode. The last thing you want is crab cake frozen to your freezers walls and shelves.

Check to make sure the container youre using is freezer safe, or just pick up a classic ziplock bag. Even with the sterile conditions of a freezer, bacteria can creep in. A container or a bag with an air-tight seal will make your crab cakes last even longer.

Step 5: Label and Date the Container

After three months, it might be challenging to remember what food is in which containeer. By labeling the package, youll make sure your crab cakes dont get lost to the freezer burn of time.

If nothing else, you should always put a date on items you store in the freezer. Without an exact origin time, its useless to know how long things will last. You can save yourself a lot of time and odor checking by putting a date.

Step 6: Place the Crab Cakes in the Freezer

The key to freezing crab cakes is to keep them very cold for as long as possible. If your freezer is full, it might not freeze items as effectively. Always leave enough space to move things around and discard old items that you wont eat or have already expired.

The coldest part of your freezer is in the middle rear. This position is where we recommend putting your crab cakes to stay freezing and last as long as possible.

How Long Will Crab Cakes Last In The Fridge/Freezer?

How long do crab cakes last? Crab cakes will last different durations in your fridge or freezer based on what state they were in when you placed them there. Crab cakes that you have already baked will last longer than raw ones in both the fridge and the freezer.

For a refrigerator, cooked crab cakes will last three or four days, and raw ones will only last one or two days. In the freezer, crab cakes last for two to three months if raw and four to six months if cooked.

How to Tell If Your Frozen Crab Cakes Is Bad

Since crab cakes contain seafood, its relatively easy to tell if theyve spoiled. All you need to do is smell them. Crab has a particular ocean smell, so if there are any foreign odors beyond that and the ingredients you cooked them with, the cakes have probably gone bad.

This smell might become more apparent once youve defrosted them, so we recommend doing so before throwing them away. When crab expires, it takes on a slimy texture, so if the cakes feel greasier than when you put them in the freezer, it can also be an indication of expiration.

What to Do With Frozen Crab Cakes

The best thing to do with frozen crab cakes is to defrost them and eat them as they are. Crab cakes are a pretty complex snack and dont blend well with many other foods. The reheating process is solid, and you wont have to worry about them being dry or lacking flavor.

To reheat crab cakes, first use a brush to remove any frost from the cake. Excess ice will melt and make the cake too moist. We recommend using the oven to reheat the cakes because it will maintain their crispy outer texture.

Place them on a baking sheet with some parchment paper and lightly add some butter to the top for extra flavor and zest preheat the oven to 400F. For a thawed cake, you can cook it for 16 to 18 minutes, and theyre good to go.

For frozen cakes, cook them for 15 minutes, then flip them over (give it a quick squish with a spatula for the best results), then cook it for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Other Recipes with Frozen Crab Cakes

Maybe you’re sick of eating traditional crab cakes and want to spice things up. If you want a crab cake with a twist, try these two recipes.

Crab Cake Sandwich

Everything is better between two slices of bread with some vegetables and condiments. To make a crab cake sandwich, take two soft pieces of bread and smear them with Tartar sauce. Tartar sauce blends great with fried seafood and will give a wonderful flavor to your meal.

Then add lettuce and tomato slices for a fresh and sour addition to the sandwich. Finally, take a cooked crab cake or two and place them on top of the lettuce, close the sandwich, and enjoy.

Crab Cake Quiche

Quiche is fantastic because it blends well with many different ingredients and styles. For this crab cake quiche, all youll need to do is chop up your crab cake, mix it with some raw egg, and pour it into the quiche crust. After that, you can bake it and serve.

Consider adding some spring onion to the Quiche to add some extra flavors that will blend well with the buttery crab.

Conclusion

So, can crab cakes be frozen? Yes, you can, and theyre delicious. You dont have to throw away that tray of appetizers. You can preserve it and use them as a lovely side dish for your next family meal.

Remember that raw crab cakes taste better when thawed, and avoid the microwave at all costs. We hope you enjoy these tasty treats!