Weekly reviews of crab cakes around the MD and DC area

Bobby Chez's Famous Crabcakes

Bobby Chez's Famous Jumbo Lump Crabcakes Bobby Chez's Famous Jumbo Lump Crabcakes Crab Cake Review

If you're a fan of QVC, then you've probably already know about Bobby Chez.  Back in 1997, Bobby (real name Robert Sliwowski) took his late father's crab cake recipe, and along with his mother, created the lightly breaded 4oz crab cake that made them famous.  Years later, they're the #1 selling crab cake on QVC, alongside a thriving mail order and wholesale business, and have multiple restaurant locations featuring a wide range of culinary delights.  A quick internet search proves that people love them.  So what did we think?  Read on and find out!

Disclaimer:  The CCR was approached by Bobby Chez asking if we'd like to include their product in our reviews.  This did not affect the outcome in any way.  The CCR would kindly like to thank Bobby Chez and his wife for their generous contribution to our site, as well as their continued focus on producing quality seafood products.  We encourage you to try their products for yourself and share your comments with us below.



While also available in retail outlets and restaurants, this review is for the mail-order version of Bobby Chez's Famous Jumbo Lump Crabcakes.  Each crab cake is 4 oz. and make with crab, butter, bread crumbs, crispy batter, green peppers, chopped onions, mustard, pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and chicken base.  The only cooking instructions are for baking them, either frozen or thawed.

That round ball of crabby goodness just awaits you to dig your fork in and break through the crispy exterior to plunder the goodness inside.  Once you do break through, you'll see the large lumps of jumbo lump crab meat, with very few broken pieces.  The crab cake itself is a saucy cake, but just saucy enough to hold things together.  The cake is lightly breaded, which adds not only a crunchy texture, but also enhances the flavor profile by giving it a bit of a twist from the usual.

The sauce is creamy, but is not runny and is able to hold its form.  The sauce's mild flavor frames the flavor of the crab, which has a nice, sweet flavor with a meaty texture.  The green peppers and onions really only lend their flavors, unlike some crab cakes we've had where they added a distracting texture to the cake.  The pepper sauce is a nice addition, which adds a hint of spice without being overpowering.

Overall, this is a very solid crab cake, and the best frozen crab cake we've reviewed thus far.  What's not to love?  The crab meat actually has that expected sweet flavor, but also has a meaty texture that makes it feel solid.  The sauce compliments the crab meat nicely without being too bland or overpowering.  Being used to Maryland-style crab cakes, we felt that the crab cake would have been perfectly fine without the crispy breading (although we did appreciate it's uniqueness and still thought they were quite delicious), and the sauce could have had a bit more spice to it.  But if you're looking for a bit more spice, just sprinkle on some of your own Old Bay, and it makes a great crab cake even better!

Additional Info

  • Restaurant Name: Bobby Chez
  • Address: Tuscany Marketplace 1990 Rt. 70 Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 Multiple locations exist - check website
  • Neighborhood: Cherry Hill
  • Restaurant Type: Local Chain
  • Review Date: 11/15/2012 8:17pm
  • Item(s) Ordered: Bobby Chez's Famous Jumbo Lump Crabcakes
  • Cooking Style: Oven Baked
  • Other Styles Available: No
  • Available by mail order?: Yes
  • Price: 8.99
  • Order Type: Store Bought
  • Crab Content: Jumbo Lump
  • Filler: Average
  • Spice: Average
  • Overall Impression: Very Good
  • Rating (out of 5 crabs):

    4-crab