Crab Cakes play a rich part in Maryland’s history. Many families growing up on the eastern shore have their own special recipe that’s been passed down from generation to generation like a family heirloom. As the Crab Capital of the World, Crisfield is no different. Ask the locals how they craft theirs and likely they will each have a different response. How can this delicacy be so delicious and yet have so many different variations? We believe it’s the memories and the collaboration that crab cake making brings that makes this treat so special.
Crab Cakes bring people together just as much as picking Maryland Hard Crabs. People love to gather and fellowship as they create this Maryland classic. It’s what grandparents do with their children and grandchildren. It’s a treat at holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. For those who love the taste of Crab, the Crab Cake brings to mind a warm nostalgic feeling of pleasure and delight.
When we first introduced Crab Cakes to our product lines in the early 2000s we used a classic recipe from the National Hard Crab Derby winner’s recipe book. (For those of you who don’t know, the National Hard Crab Derby is a festival Crisfield hosts every Labor Day to celebrate our crabbing and seafood heritage). In 2005 our partner, Rebecca Bent joined the company and tweaked the recipe so that 1. The ingredients held together better and 2. The flavors better reflected the experiences we Marylanders shared growing up having our grandmothers prepare this beloved classic for us.
With the love and care that went into this new and improved Crab Cake we were fortunate to be selected by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine as the Best Crab Cake of the Year – making our beloved recipe Award Winning!
For almost 20 years this recipe has been a fan-favorite, but as we are continuing our dedication to quality and excellence our team felt like it was time to give the recipe an update; we wanted to enhance our current recipe to improve the quality of the flavor and ensure that the cake held together better once thawed. As mentioned earlier, the thing that makes a Crab Cake so special is the people you make it with. Having just under 20 employees most of whom grew up in Crisfield, Maryland, we felt that our team each had something special to contribute.
With our Production Manager Dan S. at the helm we set out to improve the taste and ingredients of our Crab Place Original Crab Cake. What transpired is a delicious traditional Maryland Crab Cake that our team is proud of, with superior ingredients, a few new flavors, and of course the finest quality of Crab Meat we can source. Crafted in-house, this new recipe is a collaboration that reflects the memories each of our team members hold dear from the times they made crab cakes with their families. It is our hope that our new and improved recipe will have the same impact on you this year, becoming a family favorite you look forward to sharing with the ones you love.
How Do We Make Our Crab Cakes?
As mentioned before, the most delicious Crab Cakes are the ones that are hand-crafted by people who care. At Crabplace.com our team gets that. It is with the same passion and dedication that we brought into improving the quality of our Original Crab Cake recipe that we mix our Crab Cake batches and form each cake by hand. This makes for an arduous process, but one in which you can count on to include all of the love and respect that only those with a true appreciation for an exceptional seafood experience can provide.
When you receive your delicious batch of Crab Cakes from us, you may not realize that a team of Crab Place employees mixed each batch by hand and then worked together to form each individual Crab Cake for your enjoyment, so here are the steps to how we get it done!
Step 1: Mix The Dry Ingredients
When spreading the ingredients we make sure to evenly distribute throughout the batch so that the flavors will be well blended
Step 2: Create The Filler
Add the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly
to create the filler
Step 3: Add Lump Crab Meat
We add 9 lbs of lump crab meat, also known as Backfin, to each batch and mix vigorously to ensure the crab meat is infused with the blend of seasonings in the filler. We break up the clumps so the mixture is fully blended
Step 4: Add Jumbo Lump
We add 3 lbs of Jumbo lump in addition to each batch and gently fold into the mixture
Step 5: Chill The Mixture
The crab cake mix is chilled for at least 30 minutes to allow the ingredients to bind
Step 6: Form Crab Cakes
Once the Crab meat and flavors are bound, our team begins forming the mix into perfect crab cakes, weighing and wrapping each individual one to prepare them for the sealer
Step 7: Seal & Ship
After the crab cakes are formed and place on trays, the cakes are sealed and frozen ready to be shipped to your door!
Fun Fact: Over 700 dozen Crab Cakes were shipped out in December 2023. That means our staff worked together to form over 8,400 crab cakes for your holiday enjoyment
Did you know?
Our All-Jumbo Crab Cakes are made ONLY with Jumbo Lump meat! That means each cake is packed with the largest, and most tender pieces of meat from the Blue Crab making it a show stopping delicacy. With our new All-Jumbo Crab Cake line we are now offering this premium product in both 6oz and 4oz sizes.
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