- Lump blue-crab meat
- Old Bay seasoning
- Minimal binder (egg, mustard, crumbs)
- Butter for broiling
Maryland Crab Cakes
Maryland crab cakes. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
The Maryland crab cake is lump blue-crab meat held together with minimal filler, seasoned with Old Bay, and broiled or fried to a golden crust. The rule is simple: the more crab and the less filler, the better the cake.
Chesapeake Bay blue crabs are the source; the cakes are Baltimore's signature, served with saltines and cold beer. Fights break out over broiled vs. fried; broiled is the purist's choice.
Key ingredients
How it is eaten
Chesapeake Bay blue crabs are the source; the cakes are Baltimore's signature, served with saltines and cold beer. Fights break out over broiled vs. fried; broiled is the purist's choice.
Where to try it
- Faidley's in Lexington Market, Baltimore (the benchmark)
- Annapolis waterfront crab houses