A History of Maryland Crab Cakes
By Dale Mayo, July 31, 2025
Maryland Crab Cakes: A Delicious Year-Round Treat
Everyone knows that seafood is the perfect food for summer, and if you’re from or have visited the US East Coast, you know that nothing says the beach in summer like crab cakes. According to Marylanders and others who’ve tasted them, the best crab cakes are Maryland crab cakes made with regional blue crab meat. There are many recipes for Maryland crab cakes, but the one ingredient that can’t be changed is blue crab.
A Short Overview of Blue Crabs
In 1989, the Maryland Blue Crab was named the State Crustacean. Its scientific name, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, means “beautiful swimmer that is savory” and includes Rathbun to honor the scientist who described the species in 1896, Mary Jane Rathbun.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources website
Blue crabs are easy to recognize by their bright blue claws, four pairs of legs, and olive-green hard upper shell which can measure up to 9” across. While blue crabs are found along the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to Argentina and in the Gulf of Mexico, the Chesapeake Bay’s slightly salty (brackish) water provides its ideal habitat. Blue crabs are the most valuable seafood industry in the Chesapeake Bay.
For further information and an entertaining read about blue crabs and the Chesapeake Bay, William Warner’s Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay is a Pulitzer Prize-winning book. A shorter description of the habitat and life cycle of blue crabs can be found at the NC State University Center for Marine Sciences and Technology.
Brief History of Crab Cakes
There is a long history of making minced seafood into cakes or patties. Maryland’s Way reports the making of crab cakes back to the early part of the 19th century and includes five different crab cake recipes. The term crab cake may not have arisen until the 20th-century, where Baltimore crab cakes show up in Crosby Gaige’s New York World’s Fair Cook Book (1939).
Maryland Crab Cake Recipes
Maryland’s Way is not the only cookbook that offers multiple vintage crab cake recipes. The Chesapeake Bay Fish and Fowl Cookbook includes four different recipes from Maryland’s eastern shore.
Common Theme In Every Maryland Crab Cake Recipe:
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The most important ingredient in a Maryland crab cake is meat from blue crabs
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Can be jumbo lump or a combination of jumbo lump and other handpicked crabmeat
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Can be fried or broiled
Beyond that, there appears to be agreement that a crab cake should contain mostly crab meat and what is necessary to hold it together (mayonnaise, maybe an egg, maybe a little fresh parsley, maybe a little Worcestershire sauce, maybe some prepared mustard, maybe some Old Bay style seasoning, maybe some breadcrumbs, crushed crackers, or crumbled sliced bread to bind the crabmeat). Some people coat them with bread crumbs before cooking.
"choptank crab cake" by goodiesfirst is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Types of Crab Cake Accompaniments
While some say never to use tartar or cocktail sauce on Maryland crab cakes, others say dress them as you like – some swear by garlic aioli - and serve them with whatever sides suit your taste!
Traditional Crab Cakes Sauces:
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Tartar Sauce - The classic choice featuring mayonnaise, pickles, and capers
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Cocktail Sauce - Tangy blend of ketchup and horseradish
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Lemon Butter - Simple melted butter with fresh lemon juice
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Remoulade - Spicy mayo-based sauce with Creole mustard
Modern Favorites:
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Garlic Aioli - Roasted garlic blended with mayonnaise and lemon
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Sriracha Mayo - Spicy Asian-fusion option
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Old Bay Aioli - Maryland's signature seasoning in creamy form
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Mustard Cream Sauce - Dijon-based sauce popular in Baltimore
Traditional Crab Cake Pairings:
Traditional picnic fare might include coleslaw, corn on the cob, French fries, hush puppies, saltine crackers, and a cold beer. Others might prefer an arugula salad, a baguette, and a glass of white wine.
Whether broiled or fried, there is nothing quite like a Maryland crab cake made from jumbo lump crab meat. The texture and flavor of the white, flaky crab combine with seasonings of traditional Chesapeake seafood to provide a uniquely satisfying eating experience.
Buying Guide: Ensuring Authentic Maryland Crab Cakes
Be sure you’re getting what you pay for. Some purveyors of seafood are selling imported seafood without disclosing it or are using terms that indicate traditionally prepared American seafood (e.g., “Maryland style” crab cakes) without disclosing the foreign origin or species of the crabmeat.
What to Look For when Buying Crab Cakes
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Blue Crab Verification: Ensure Callinectes sapidus species
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Origin Disclosure: Ensure Domestic source
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"Maryland Style" Warning: May use imported crab
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Fresh vs. Pasteurized: Both acceptable, different uses
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Sustainability Certification: Responsible sourcing
At Sizzlefish, you can see exactly where your seafood is coming from and know that we are focused on offering fresh, sustainable fish and shellfish.
Sources:
- https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/01glance/html/symbols/crab.html
- https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/blue-crabhttps://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/blue-crab
- https://www.cbf.org/about-the-bay/chesapeake-wildlife/blue-crabs/index.html
- Maryland’s Way: The Hammond-Harwood House Cook Book. (1963). Mrs. Lewis R. Andrews and Mrs. J Reaney Kelly. Annapolis, MD: The Hammond-Harwood House Foundation. As told by a collection of traditional receipts selected from three centuries of Maryland cooking with 100 illustrations of the Maryland scene which inspired it.
- Mariani, J.F. (1999). Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink. NY: Lebhar Friedman.
- Foley, J. and Foley, J. (1988) The Chesapeake Bay Fish & Fowl Cookbook: A Collection of Old and New Recipes from Maryland’s Eastern Shore. NY: Weathervane Books.
- Paolisso, M. (2007). Taste the traditions: Crabs, crab cakes, and the Chesapeake Bay blue crab fishery. American Anthropologist, Vol. 109, Issue 4, 654–665. https://web.mnstate.edu/robertsb/445/Taste%20the%20Tradition.pdf
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