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Weekly reviews of crab cakes around the MD and DC area

Joe's Crab Shack

You probably know Joe's Crab Shack from the commercials you see on TV. Driving past one, it may remind you of a Bubba Gump's. More perplexing than anything else may be that this is one crab shack that you can't get steamed crabs at. Well, not like what we're used to here in Maryland. Buckets of crab legs just aren't the same as a steaming pile of crabs in the center of the table. But despite that little difference, they do have crab cakes on the menu. Are they respectable enough to be served in Maryland? Let's find out!

Crab cakes are available as a side/add-on, sandwich, platter, salad, or as part of a combo. The menu describes them as their famous lump crab meat cakes made from scratch. For our review, we decided to tackle the East Coast Platter, which includes fish and chips, crab stuffed shrimp, and a crab cake, served with a side of onion straws. Also comes with a side of sriracha remoulade.

'Crab meat cakes' is about what describes what gets served. The first thing you notice is just how flat the crab cake is. Still, there are some decent sized lumps amongst the broken up crab meat, with some spice mixed into the binder, and sprinkled with Old Bay on top. Binder is composed of breading and egg.

The crab cake is actually a decent attempt, especially for a chain restaurant, but nothing that will have you coming back for more. We were really surprised when we tasted the crab meat and found that it had some flavor to it. Nothing that really makes you say 'wow', but still more flavor than some crab meat we've had. The texture of the binder is creamy, but doesn't carry forward much flavor. Spice can get a bit peppery in places, which can be really assertive at times. Given the flatness of the cake, that assertiveness is overpowering. The remoulade wasn't half bad, either.

Joe's Crab Shack Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Additional Info

  • Restaurant Name: Joe's Crab Shack
  • Address: 3414 Merchants Blvd Bel Air South, MD 21009
  • Neighborhood: Abington
  • Restaurant Type: National Chain
  • Website: http://www.joescrabshack.com/
  • Review Date: 06/29/2013 12:04pm
  • Atmosphere: Not Busy
  • Item(s) Ordered: East Coast Platter
  • Cooking Style: Broiled
  • Other Styles Available: Yes
  • Available by mail order?: No
  • Price: 18.99
  • Order Type: Combo Platter
  • Crab Content: Lump
  • Filler: Average
  • Spice: Average
  • Overall Impression: Average
  • Rating (out of 5 crabs):

    3-crab
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