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Handy Crab & Shrimp Cakes
Back in January, the CCR encountered Handy Crab Cakes, hoping that stumbling across a brand they've never seen before might actually be a frozen crab cake that is a worthy substitute for when you can't get a freshly made one. As it turns out -- not so much. Alongside those regular crab cakes were the Crab & Shrimp Cakes. Call us a glutton for punishment, or maybe just consider us adventurous. But we went ahead and bought a package. For science! They are, according to their website, America's oldest seafood processor, who still maintains a plant in Crisfield, MD. In this day and age of rampant patriotism, we say let's support the local Maryland economy and give them another shot. Were these any better? Let's find out!
Handy's crab cakes come in a few different varieties, from regular crab cakes to gluten-free crab cakes, including crab & shrimp and crab & lobster cakes. Cakes are hand made with a minimum of ingredients, as evidenced by the ingredient list on the box (which does not appear to list any unpronounceable ingredients or preservatives). One other thing to appreciate about the box is the fact that they have a window in the back so you can see what you are getting before you buy it.
There are a variety of cooking methods listed. The CCR chose to thaw and sauté one crab cake, while oven baking from frozen the other. You can also broil or deep fry, if that is your preference.
The crab & shrimp cakes didn't smell fishy, like their regular crab cakes did. That's not to say that the crab wasn't sourced from the same location, but it was a good start given our previous experience. There are some large lumps of crab in the cake along with some shreds, in addition to whole pieces of shrimp. There still isn't much crab flavor aside from a small bit of fishiness. At least the meat had moisture to it. Slightly more filler in the cake than you would hope for, but only a bit more than your average Maryland-style crab cake.
The crab cakes can be somewhat eggy inside, but it wasn't as bad as the regular crab cakes, which smelled up the entire house with an egg scent. Even so, these were much more palatable than the regular crab cakes. The shrimp give it some texture and flavor, although overall, it was a bit salty Might help to brush the oven baked cake with some butter. Using lemon to help coax some flavor out of the cake did a tiny bit to help, but not much. Old Bay may also make the cakes palatable, but doesn't do much to cover up the fishy bits.
Additional Info
- Restaurant Name: Handy Crab & Shrimp Cakes
- Address: Distribution may vary. Found at Weis in Laurel.
- Neighborhood: Laurel
- Restaurant Type: Retail
- Website: http://www.handycrab.com
- Review Date: 05/20/2012 9:34pm
- Item(s) Ordered: Crab & Shrimp Cakes
- Cooking Style: Fried
- Other Styles Available: Yes
- Available by mail order?: Yes
- Price: 7.99
- Order Type: Store Bought
- Crab Content: Mix
- Filler: Average
- Spice: Minimal
- Overall Impression: Average
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Rating (out of 5 crabs):
