Inspired by Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, the CCR was recently presented with multiple brands of crab cakes on a recent grocery run.  Not knowing which to choose from, it was decided to pit them up against each other to see whose crab cakes reign supreme.  So the cart was loaded, and we happily returned back to our own version of Kitchen Stadium to let the cakes do battle.

First, lets introduce the contenders:

Trader Joe's Maryland Style Crab Cakes:  Known for their high quality and low prices, Trader Joe's serves up their interpretation of a Maryland style crab cake.

Chesapeake Bay Brand Crab Cakes:  The same company that sells millions of crab cakes on QVC, has appeared on Oprah's "O" List, and was voted the best mail-order crab cake by the Baltimore Sun in 1993, now brings that Maryland culinary classic  to your frozen food aisle.

Phillips Maryland Style Crab Cakes:  Synonymous with Baltimore and Maryland seafood, Phillips retail products can be found far and wide for that Maryland taste that visitors can experience in their own neck of the woods.

The challenge is simple:  Cook each crab cake according to the manufacturer's preferred method, and judge them by crab content, flavor, quality and overall impression.  All three are considered Maryland style, which is typically heavier with the breading, although only one uses lump crab meat.

You can read the individual reviews if you want more detail (click on the brand name), as for now we shall summarize:

Trader Joe's:  Really hard to get out of the packaging when defrosted - recommend to take out before defrosting.  Cake falls apart very easily, even when cooked.  No real structure to it, as it resembles pâté.  Crab cake itself is mostly breading with some dry, stringy crab meat pieces inside.  Only real flavor you notice is the green onion, which is too overpowering.

Chesapeake Bay Brand:  Despite this being a lower end retail offering, these cakes had potential given this is the same company that sells crab cakes on QVC.  Fishy smell to the cakes that was offputting.  Crab cake was mostly breading with a few strands of dry, stringy crab.  Spicing was more in line with a crab cake flavor, but ended up being too salty.

Phillips:  Famous seafood brand name that originated in Maryland and is popular with tourists.   Phillips has a basic recipe that they stick to in both their restaurant and retail locations.  Crab cake is bready, but still retains some saucy moisture. You can at least tell there is crab in there.  The spicing is very nice, without being too over the top or salty.  Some of the crab lumps were dried out, but that can be expected in frozen foods.  Probably as good, if not better, than what we've had in their restaurant.
 

And the winner is......Phillips!  Congrats guys, you rule the frozen crab cake offerings -- for now.  Look for more frozen crab cake reviews in the future to see if anyone can do better than 3.5 crabs.  You never know when there may be another Throwdown!

The Crab Galley has been around for as long as the CCR can remember.  They are family-owned local seafood carryout establishment, specializing in steamed crabs and other seafood.  They are located in Odenton and Bowie.  With a name like Crab Galley, you'd want to believe that they know what to do with some crabs.  So are they masters of the crab cake, or should you just stick to ordering crabs?  Find out inside!

Last week, we reviewed The Crab Galley's Backfin Crab Cake.  This week, we turn our sights on the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake.  In case you didn't know, The Crab Galley is a local carryout seafood shop, with locations in Odenton and Baltimore.  They specialize in steamed crabs, as well as other seafood delights.  We saw how the backfin cake was, but is the jumbo lump any better?  Read on and find out!

Ah....the beach.  Or as we call it around these parts "downy ocean, hon".  While most beaches can provide fun, sun, sand and seafood, Ocean City is one of the few places on the Eastern Seaboard where you can get a true Maryland crab cake.  And taking a drive up and down Coastal Highway (otherwise known as Hormone Highway if it's Junebug season), you notice the plethora of crab houses offering up Maryland's finest.  It can be a nerve-racking decision as to which location you will patronize, especially if you are just there for a day.

If you are anything like the CCR, then you'll be thinking of enjoying a seriously good crab cake after spending some time on the boards (be that surf, boogie or the boardwalk).  And while any crab house can serve up a crab cake, it takes a place like the Crabcake Factory USA to let you know what their specialty is.  Despite having a not so stellar experience at another "factory", I decided to throw caution to the wind and see what it was they had to offer.

The Crabcake Factory USA has been around since 1986, making crab cakes fresh in Ocean City and shipping them all around the world.  There is even a sign outside of their restaurant on 120th St boasting the over one million crab cakes being sold/shipped.  But do the crab cakes live up to the hype?  Let's find out!

The Dark Horse Saloon in Bel Air has been around since 2010 and features southwestern favorites and authentic, award-winning barbecue.  (There is another location in Canton as well, but may be under different ownership.) The original building dates back to the post civil war era, having served as the home to John's barbershop, a watch repair store and the original headquarters of the Aegis newspaper.  The decor pays homage to this rich history, keeping with the Western theme and including relics of days gone past.  So you normally wouldn't expect a southwestern place to serve crab cakes.  But when they do, they go all out.  In addition to crab cake platters and sandwiches comes the Chesapeake Grilled Cheese.  Is it as amazing as it sounds?  Continue on and see for yourself!