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Chesapeake Bay Brand Crab Cakes
Grocery shopping can sometimes be an adventure, especially when you go to a store that you are unfamiliar with. What new treats await you in the next aisle? Are they worth the cost? Can I find these in other stores, or even the same store in a different location?
Imagine how elated the CCR was when stopping by a random grocery store and seeing a brand of frozen crab cakes that haven't been encountered yet. And they came in two different varieties -- normal crab cakes (being reviewed) and jumbo lump crab cakes (future review). They also sat alongside Phillips frozen crab cakes, so which to choose?
You may not know this at the store, but do some internet researching, and you will find out that Chesapeake Bay Brands is the same company that sells gourmet crab cakes on QVC, appeared on Oprah's "O" List, and were even voted by the Baltimore Sun as the best mail-order crab cake (although this was back in 1993). So there may be some high hopes for the quality of these crab cakes. Follow along and find how if their reputation precedes them!
The regular Crab Cakes variety (as opposed to the Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes) are 2 oz. cakes that come in a package of 6. The cake consists of crab meat, no-salt soda cracker crumbs, no-fat mayonnaise, no-salt Worcestershire sauce, pasteurized egg whites, mustard, baking powder, seasonings (salt, ground mustard, ground celery seed, ground red pepper, paprika, whole thyme, crushed red pepper) and parsley.
Preferred cooking method is to bake from frozen on a non-stick backing sheet at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes (or until centers are warm). Brush with mayonnaise, margarine or butter if desired (we simply greased the tray with olive oil).
Additional instructions are provided for pan frying in a lightly greased or sprayed frying pan on medium-low for 10-12 minutes, then flipped and cooked for an additional 6-8 minutes.
The first thing that was noticed about these crab cakes was the fishy smell, even when they were frozen. With the box being wrapped in plastic, one could only hope that some sort of fish water was spilled on the box, imparting that distinctive smell. Sadly, even with the plastic removed, the crab cakes still had a fishy smell that only gets worse as the cakes defrost. Luckily, the smell burns off during cooking, but there will still be a faint fishy aftertaste to the cake.
Texture is very bready to the point where it is so thick with cracker crumbs that it is hard to see any crab in the cake itself. It is not until you start to eat them that you notice the bits of dry, stringy crab meat. The texture was so bready that it resembled pâté. The spicing isn't too bad, as it attempts to make the cake taste like actual seafood, although it is very salty. Overall, not a pleasant experience and for the amount paid, there are better alternatives to be had.
Additional Info
- Restaurant Name: Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes
- Address: Retail distribution varies
- Restaurant Type: Retail
- Website: http://www.cbgourmet.com/
- Review Date: 10/10/2011 4:42pm
- Item(s) Ordered: Crab Cakes
- Cooking Style: Oven Baked
- Other Styles Available: Yes
- Available by mail order?: No
- Price: 7.99
- Order Type: Store Bought
- Crab Content: Mix
- Filler: Too Much
- Spice: Above Average
- Overall Impression: Stay Away
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Rating (out of 5 crabs):
