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crab cake smash taco with tomato scallions and bang bang sauce
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Crab Cake Smash Tacos

If you love crispy tacos and classic crab cakes, these Crab Cake Smash Tacos are about to become your new favorite dinner recipe.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Seafood
Keyword Crab Cakes, Seafood
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 19 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 625kcal

Ingredients

Crab Cake Mixture

Baltimore Bang Bang Sauce

Tacos

  • 6 Flour Tortillas 4 inch
  • 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese
  • 2 Roma Tomatoes Sliced
  • 1/4 cup Scallions
  • 2 tbsp Butter

Instructions

Step 1: Make the Crab Cake Mixture

  • In a large bowl, combine claw meat, lump crabmeat, eggs, mayonnaise, hot sauce, Dijon mustard, and crushed Ritz crackers.
    Mix gently—be careful not to overwork the crab so it stays nice and chunky.
    Stuff the mixture into hollowed-out jalapeños and air fry or smoke at 350°F for 10–15 minutes, then chill for 1 hour.

Step 2: Make the Baltimore Bang Bang Sauce

  • In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, sriracha, sweet Thai chili sauce, hot honey, and Old Bay seasoning.
    Refrigerate until ready to serve.
    This sauce adds the perfect creamy, sweet heat that takes these tacos over the top.

Step 3: Build the Smash Tacos

  • Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly over each tortilla.
    Press an even layer of the chilled crab cake mixture onto the tortilla over the cheese.
    This helps create that crispy “smash taco” texture everyone loves.

Step 4: Cook the Tacos

  • Add butter to a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
    Place the tacos crab cake side down and cook for about 4 minutes until golden and crispy.
    Flip and cook for another 2–3 minutes until the tortilla is golden brown.

Step 5: Garnish and Serve

  • Top with thinly sliced Roma tomatoes, scallions, and a generous drizzle of Baltimore Bang Bang Sauce.
    Serve immediately while hot and crispy.

Video

Notes

Pro Tips 🔥
  • Don’t Over-mix the Crab
  • Keeping the crab mixture chunky gives you better texture and more authentic crab cake flavor.
  • Chill Before Cooking
  • Letting the crab mixture chill helps it hold together better when pressed onto the tortillas.
  • Use Fresh Crab if Possible,Fresh lump crabmeat gives the best flavor, but refrigerated pasteurized crab works great too.

Nutrition

Calories: 625kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 20g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 1595mg | Potassium: 327mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 690IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 254mg | Iron: 3mg