Weekly reviews of crab cakes around the MD and DC area

Shenanigan's

Shenanigan's Crab Cake Feast Shenanigan's Crab Cake Feast Crab Cake Review

There's nothing like heading 'downy ocean' in the off-season.  The crowds are gone, prices are lowered, and the wait times at restaurants diminished.  Just head to the boardwalk, stroll around, and sample some of the fine beach cuisine that the town has to offer.  One such place is Shenanigan's.  Located on 4th St and the Boards, they have an amazing outside deck from which you can enjoy a beer while gazing at the ocean (as well as people watch!).  So while an Irish establishment isn't quite what you would think when it comes to crab cakes, we are always on the hunt for them.  So are they worth the wait, or do we call shenanigans?  Read along and find out!

Shenanigan's Crab Cake Feast consists of a 1/4 lb jumbo lump crab cake gently fried, served on a potato pancake floating in a sea of tangy remoulade sauce, and accompanied with garlic mashed potatoes or rice pilaf, plus the vegetable of the day.  Also available as a sandwich.

The crab cake itself doesn't have much filler, and ends up being a bit saucy.  Not too saucy, though, just enough to provide some moisture while holding the crab meat together.  Crab consists of mostly lumps with some shreds.  Crab cake is breaded with fish breading and fried.  Spicing is light, as most of it will come from the sauce.

The crab meat has some flavor to it.  Not over the top, but not completely devoid.  The breading, and the grease soaked up by it, are the predominant flavors here, which make the cake taste like breaded fish and not crab.  The remoulade sauce is tangy, and overpowers the breading if you manage to get some of it.  The tanginess hits after you finish the bite, and lingers along with the flavor of the breading.

Overall, we rated this crab cake as being mediocre.  A crab cake should taste like crab, not fish sticks.  Placing on top of an overpowering sauce is no way to compensate for lack of crab flavor, let alone the predominant taste of the breading.  Squeezing some lemon on top helps give the breading a bit of flavor, but the sauce is very assertive.  Best to stick with the Irish specialties.

Shenanigan's Irish Pub & Grille Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Additional Info

  • Restaurant Name: Shenanigan's
  • Address: 309 North Atlantic Ave Ocean City, MD 21842
  • Neighborhood: Ocean City
  • Restaurant Type: Local
  • Website: http://www.ocshenanigans.com/
  • Review Date: 09/29/2012 7:56pm
  • Atmosphere: Busy with a wait
  • Item(s) Ordered: Crab Cake Feast
  • Cooking Style: Fried
  • Other Styles Available: No
  • Available by mail order?: No
  • Price: 15.99
  • Order Type: Single Platter
  • Crab Content: Jumbo Lump
  • Filler: Minimal
  • Spice: Average
  • Overall Impression: Mediocre
  • Rating (out of 5 crabs):

    2-crab
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