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Dockside Classics
Real crab cakes can be hard to find in the off-season, especially if you expect it to contain any precious Maryland Blue crab. So when you are walking through the grocery store and spy a new brand of crab cake, the words "made with real crab meat" might pique your interest. And if you are super proud of your country, then the "Made in USA!" will have that package jumping into your cart in no time. Found at my local Giant supermarket, I decided to fight terrorism the only way I know how -- by eating crab cakes. How were they? Continue on and find out!
Dockside Classic's crab cakes are made with a mixture of crab meat, crab surimi (Alaskan pollock and/or whiting), mayonnaise, bread crumbs, wheat, flour, celery, onions, peppers, milk, butter, salt, margarine, tomato paste, egg whites and assorted seasonings. Maybe by Seafood America in Warminster, PA, and found at my local Giant in the refrigerated seafood section. Cakes are 3 oz each, and also comes with a 2 oz cup of cocktail sauce.
The "best" cooking instruction is to bake at 400 degrees F for 16 minutes. Otherwise, you can microwave them for 1 minute on high. Because there are 4, we tried cooking one in oil at medium-high for 3 minutes one side, 2 minutes on the other. Because we're daredevils like that. True honey badgers to the core.
First thing you notice about these cakes when you first open the package is the odd fishy smell from the crab surimi (AKA "crab with a 'k'" -- krab). It's very off-putting and does not bode well for maintaining your appetite. But this is for America, so we solider on!
The CCR would highly recommend you not cook these by way of sautéing/frying. The cake likes to spatter and explode while it is cooking, and the outside burns WAY too easily. Unless you happen to like Cajun blackened crab cakes, you might just want to stick to the recommended instructions.
So now we have our crab cakes, fresh out of the oven. Right when you thought you were out of the woods, that fish smell from earlier decides to make another appearance. This time, it's a bit sneaky. We couldn't really smell it when we pulled them from the oven. But we did notice the smell upon cutting into the crab cake itself. Joy.
The cake is thick and bready, but still fragile when removing it from the cookie sheet. No visible crab in the cake save for one or two strands here and there. Texture is very soft and mushy, with bits of onion and celery floating about. The taste is just not right. So horribly wrong that I would fear giving this to that band of raccoons out by the dumpster as they may take note as to where I live. That cup of cocktail sauce doesn't do enough to mask the flavor.
For this, I award Dockside Classics with my first ever 0 crab rating. The terrorists truly have won with this one. Next time you see these at the supermarket, save your money, keep calm, and carry on.
Additional Info
- Restaurant Name: Dockside Classics
- Address: Distribution varies. Found at Giant Supermarket
- Neighborhood: Crofton
- Restaurant Type: Retail
- Website: http://www.seafoodamerica.com
- Review Date: 10/22/2011 7:24pm
- Item(s) Ordered: Dockside Classics Crab Cakes
- Cooking Style: Broiled and Fried (1 each)
- Other Styles Available: No
- 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):
