The Beauty of Blue Crab

This Chesapeake Bay catch makes for the best loaded crab cakes on the planet

- ALANA AL-HATLANI

WHAT WE’RE LOVING, SHARING, AND CELEBRATING

The Maryland crab cake is a contentious dish. Many restaurants pass off their patties as the real deal, but few outside the region get them right. They must consist of mostly crab with just enough binder to hold the meat together and should be scooped or balled by hand, never flattened or pressed. Two cooking methods are acceptable: pan-frying and broiling. The only variable is how much Old Bay seasoning to use.

It’s fitting that Maryland focuses so heavily on the meat, as local blue crabs are truly something to be treasured. Summer is when they are most abundant, but their season stretches from spring through fall. The crustaceans are named for their bright blue claws and live among the submerged grasses and oyster reefs of both the brackish and saltier waters of the state.