Weekly reviews of crab cakes around the MD and DC area

Red Lobster

I don't think Red Lobster needs any introduction. The thought of going there for crab cakes has always been a joke around the office. With all of these excellent crab cakes in the area, why would anyone go to Red Lobster for them? We were surprised that they serve live lobsters and fresh fish. But crab cakes are a bit dubious. Were they good enough to make us "seafood differently"? Let's find out!

Crab cakes may or may not be on the menu at your local Red Lobster. We do recall them being on the online menu a few months ago, but recently they have been taken off. Fear not, oh trusty readers! If you ask, they'll let you know if they have any in the kitchen or not. Luckily(?) for us, they had one left, so we were able to do a review. If they are available, they are available as an appetizer and an entree. Both come with two crab cakes, and the entree also comes with two sides.

Our server mentioned that the crab cakes at Red Lobster "are not Maryland style." I think what she meant to say was that they were not made with Maryland crab. The crab cakes were made with shreds of crab meat, bound together with a binder of egg, breading, and spices. Around a 60/40 ratio. In that respect, we could call this Maryland style. But that's about where the comparison ends.

The only advice we can give you is to stay far away from these crab cakes, especially for what they cost. While there is actual crab meat inside, the crab meat is flavorless at best, and fishy at worst, with the predominant flavors being bread and then fishy crab. We suspect they used Blue Swimmer crab, which tends to give off a fishy flavor. Crab meat (or the crab cake itself) was frozen, as the meat had a dry texture to it. The only spices we could really taste was salt. Lots of salt. Not even our friend the lemon wedge could tame the salt, nor hide the fish flavor.

One can only wonder why crab cakes aren't on the menu anymore. The best part of our meal, however, was the cheddar biscuits. But those puppies speak for themselves!

Red Lobster Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Additional Info

  • Restaurant Name: Red Lobster
  • Address: 615 Belair Rd Bel Air, MD 21014
  • Neighborhood: Bel Air
  • Restaurant Type: National Chain
  • Review Date: 07/03/2014 8:31pm
  • Atmosphere: Busy
  • Item(s) Ordered: Crab Cakes
  • Cooking Style: Sauteed
  • Other Styles Available: No
  • Available by mail order?: No
  • Price: 13.49
  • Order Type: Appetizer
  • Crab Content: Shredded
  • Filler: Average
  • Spice: Above Average
  • Overall Impression: Stay Away
  • Rating (out of 5 crabs):

    half-crab