Enjoy this delicious, crunchy, and gooey air fryer crab melt. The toasted sourdough combined with the delicate crab meat and melted cheese will leave your mouth watering.

Get the ultimate crab melt experience with this air fryer recipe.Photo byLittle Bit Recipes

This melt is super easy to make and truly comes together in a matter of minutes thanks to canned crab meat and an air fryer. Who knew it could be so easy?

The air fryer allows the sourdough bread to get all crispy brown lending to a satisfying crunch. Mozzarella cheese melts so nicely over the crab meat and the crab mixture includes some of my favorite herbs to add a bit of spice to the melt. I hope you enjoy this air fryer crab melt as much as I do now that we are into springtime.

Ingredients

CRAB MIXTURE:

• ½ cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese, divided
• ⅓ cup canned crab meat
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• ½ tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
• ⅛ kosher salt, to taste
• ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper to taste
• lemon zest from 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 2 thick slices salad tomato, ¼ inch thick

BREAD:

• 2 thick slices of sourdough bread, ½ inch thick
• 1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

1. Preheat air fryer at 370°F (188°C) or heat oven to 375. Set at 10 minutes.
2. Smear butter on both sides of the thick sourdough bread.
3. Place bread onto air fryer tray or basket. Air Fry thick sourdough bread slices for 2 minutes on each side or until slightly golden. Remove slightly golden bread slices from the Air Fryer.
4. Add crab meat, dill, parsley, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, lemon zest, and mayonnaise to a large bowl.
5. Mix ingredients until well combined.
6. Spread crab mixture over lightly toasted bread slices. Sprinkle half the grated mozzarella. Top with 1 slice of tomato and the rest of the grated mozzarella cheese.
7. Return crab-filled bread slices to the air fryer. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until cheese is melted and slightly golden.
8. Garnish with the remaining fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

Variations

Here are a few suggestions to try if you’d like to customize this crab melt:

• Add extra spice. If you are looking for a spicer air fryer crab melt, might I suggest adding hot sauce overtop the melt. You can also sprinkle some Old Bay seasoning into the crab mixture.
• Add other toppings. Sliced avocado, bacon bites, pickled onions or jalapenos can be added to the melt after air frying.
• Add vegetables. You can certainly add in diced red onions, celery or bell peppers to the crab mixture to make it with more vegetables.
• Switch up the cheese. You can use another cheese besides mozzarella but want to make sure it has a high melting point to ensure you get that gooey melt. A few cheeses with high melting points are cheddar cheese, gouda or gruyere.
• Serve on different bread. Ciabatta rolls, English muffins, Texas toast or garlic bread make great breads to use because they are all thick and sturdy enough to handle the crab mixture.
• Use Greek yogurt. Swap out the mayo for Greek yogurt to enjoy a healthier option.

Tips

Top tip: Make sure you lightly toast the thick sourdough. This will help create a sturdy base for the crab mixture. It makes it easier to hold them, should you prefer to enjoy them that way.

• When filing the bread slices with the crab mixture, close the door to the air fryer oven. If you don’t close the door, the air fryers temperature might change. You can easily adjust the timer as needed.
• Freshly grated mozzarella is used for this recipe. Only use mild types of cheese to not overpower the delicate crab.
• I recommend using fresh dill as dried dill or dill weed can overpower the delicate crab meat.
• Budget-friendly canned crab meat is used, but lump crab, either fresh or canned, can be used if you prefer larger pieces of crab. If you do decide to use fresh lump crab, make sure to fold crab meat in gently so lumps don’t break apart.

Storage

The melts are best enjoyed right after making them. However, you can mix up the crab mixture and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. You would also store the bread in the refrigerator and combine when ready to heat up.