In Maryland, a crab cake that is mostly breadcrumbs can start a family argument. The best ones hold together with just enough binder to keep the big, sweet lumps of blue crab from falling apart on the fork.
This list covers eight spots around the state, from a standing-room counter in Baltimore to a waterfront crab house outside Annapolis, where the crab is the star and the filler barely gets a speaking part. Save it for your next road trip, or send it to the friend who always asks where to find a real Maryland crab cake.
1. Jerry’s Seafood “Home of the Crab Bomb”, Bowie, MD
Some restaurants name a dish after themselves. Jerry’s went further and put its signature right in the business name, and the Crab Bomb earns that billing.
The Crab Bomb is a massive crab cake built from giant chunks of lump crab with no filler to speak of. It gets broiled, not fried, so the seasoning and the sweet crab meat carry the whole plate…