How popular are crab cakes where you live? (breakfast, chinese, butter)

[GAngus]

I live in Colorado Springs. King Sooper's (a Kroger grocery) sells fresh crabcakes (I think they make them from the leftover crab that does not sell by its due date). And Sam's Club sells frozen crabcakes.

[ABQConvict]

The thing about crabcakes is that they are either absolutely sublime, or they are terrible. If you are lucky, a bad one is simply nothing to write home about rather than a gluey, bready, over or underseasoned mess.

There are two factors in a good crabcake:

(1) They are made with fresh, quality crab meat. If not fresh, the texture is gone. Just gone. So for the only acceptable result, this requires either being right where the crabs are harvested (as in the Chesapeake area for example) or at a restaurant that takes their crab seriously enough to make sure it is transported quickly from the source to their kitchens and prepared and served that day.

(2) Knowing how to make a decent crab cake. THere are a lot of complications in making a good crab cake. It is not out of reach of a competent home cook, much less a pro, but texture and ratios of ingredients are paramount and a lot of recipes out there are not good. The ratio of crab meat to fillers, how the crab is cooked, and the amount of seasoning have to be spot on. or you end up with terrible texture, bland, or overseasoned.

The crab cake, according to my Mid-Atlantic friends who cook them, is a finicky recipe.

[BigCityDreamer]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

My girlfriend and I had lobster rolls for lunch Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. 2 1/4 pounds of lobster meat over the holiday weekend. Why would I bother with crab when I have lobster?

In parts of New England, I noticed that lobster rolls are so common that even McDonalds has them.

[mike1003]

I'm in Cincinnati. Most restaurants have crab cakes on the menu. But almost all are a lot of filler and a little crab

There are 3 restaurants that come to mind as being very close to Baltimore crab cakes. Very close, but still not quite the same

[gentlearts]

I live near Savannah. Crab cakes are very popular, although it’s still hard to get a good one.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by Dogboa

I know some folks in Florida and along the Gulf coast that would highly disagree with you! I've had Cajun crab boil in LA and steamed crawfish in Savannah (using Maryland spices) and didn't care for either. I steam all my crab, whether blue (no females please), Dungeness or Golden. IMO, it brings out the sweetness. Give me a pile of steamed blue crab, a cooler full of ice cold beer and I'm good to go.

You did know my statement was sarcastic...right?

[tnff]

I love crab cakes, but we can't get good ones here in Tennessee. All filler and dough. Neither a good crabcake, nor a good hush puppy.

Originally Posted by GAngus

I live in Colorado Springs. King Sooper's (a Kroger grocery) sells fresh crabcakes (I think they make them from the leftover crab that does not sell by its due date). And Sam's Club sells frozen crabcakes.

Interestingly we actually got good crabcakes at a place called Olive Branch (or something like that) for Sunday brunch when we lived in Colorado Springs. But mostly you can't get good ones anywhere more than a short drive from the coast.

[TabulaRasa]

Midwest.

Not so much, and when they're available, they're not great.

[Dogboa]

Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801

You did know my statement was sarcastic...right?

Thus the smiley!

[Happy in Wyoming]

I'm in NW Wyoming, about fifty miles from Yellowstone National Park. I can buy them at grocery stores, refrigerated—not frozen. I can also buy crab meat as well as crabs. They certainly aren't wildly popular. The most popular seafood here is fried oysters. A local restaurant flies them in from New Orleans every Friday during the winter.