This recipe comes to us from the side of the Old Bay canister:

2 slices bread, crusts removed
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
2 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. prepared yellow mustard
1 egg, beaten
1 lb. crab meat

Step 1:  Break bread into small pieces.
Step 2:  Mix in mayonnaise, Old Bay, parsley, mustard and egg.
Step 3:  Stir in crab meat.
Step 4:  Shape mixture into patties.
Step 5:  Broil 10 min. or fry until golden brown. 

In order to appreciate what others have done with their crab cakes, you must first learn how to make them on your own.  Everyone has a secret recipe, as well as their own preferred style.  The Basic Crab Cake can be used as a base to start your own culinary explorations and experimentations.  Like a breadier crab cake?  Add more bread/bread crumbs.  Is saucier your style?  Try different blends of mayo and/or Dijon.  Add in other spices as well, such as Old Bay, garlic powder, etc.

To kick things off, we are going to go with a basic crab cake.  Here's what you need to get started:

1 egg
1 lb. crab meat
Bread crumbs (~1/2 cup to start) or 2 slices of bread with crusts cut off, ripped into small pieces
Spices (optional)
Oil

Step 1:  Crack the egg into a bowl and pour in some bread crumbs.  If using jumbo lump, you may want to beat the egg before adding the bread crumbs in order to minimize breakage.
Step 2:  Add crab meat and spices.  Carefully mix by hand until blended, adding more bread crumbs as needed/desired.
Step 3:  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, for best results, chill overnight.
Step 4:  Form into patties and cook as desired:

Fried:  Use enough oil so that it covers the bottom half of the crab cake.  Depending on your stove, keep the heat to low or medium.  When in doubt, try cooking a small crab ball to test.  Cook each side until golden brown, about 1.5 - 2 minutes per side should do it (depending on your stove/heat settings/etc).

Oven:  Cook at 375˚ for 12 - 15 minutes until golden brown.

Behold, our results!   Our crab cake looks a little darker in color due to the seasonings chosen, which were 6 - 7 dashes of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce and 3 - 4 dashes of Old Bay (using the small oval opening).  The two really complimented the flavor of the crab meat without overpowering or adding too much complexity.  Backfin crab meat was used during this trail run (mostly because of the available selection at the grocery store that day), but next time it'll be interesting to see what good quality jumbo lump will do to improve the results.  Also worth noting: safflower oil was used for frying.

The Crab Cake Review highly recommends using the Maryland Blue Crab whenever possible.  In this trial run, the CCR used Graham & Rollins blended backfin crab meat, found on ice in the fresh fish section of our local Safeway.  You can find packaged crab meat in other locations, such as a local market (Lexington Market, Cross St Market, Eastern Market, etc.), super market (Whole Foods, Safeway, etc.), or even at restaurant outlets like Mo's Seafood Market in Little Italy, or Faidley's in Lexington Market.

Always choose fresh, premium quality crab meat for best results.  If it's on ice, then it's a good start.  Beware of the retail packages found in the refrigerated sections of the fish section.  If that is your only choice, compare the ingredient labels.  For example, Safeway's Waterfront Bistro label sells jumbo lump crab meat in 8oz containers, but the crab used is blue swimmer, not Maryland blue.  (Maryland blue crabs have a more intense, sweeter flavor than other crab varieties, hence why Maryland is known the world over for their crabs/crab cakes.)  The other thing to watch out for is the opaque packaging with a small window in the lid, allowing the packer to hide smaller or broken pieces of crab meat underneath the few lumps placed on top.

While situated near water and not on a dock (as the name may imply), Canton Dockside is one of Baltimore's newest crab houses.  The outside patio is as you would expect with a crab house: wooden picnic tables that get laid down with brown paper before a tray of Maryland's finest are presented before you.  Go inside, and the crab house feel takes on a more upscale feel.  Family owned and operated, Canton Dockside was listed by the Baltimore Sun in 2011 as one of 15 crab houses that you need to visit this summer.  If they know crabs, then one would figure they know crab cakes.  Do they?  Let's find out!

To pass by Todd Conner's (or as it's referred to around the neighborhood:  TC's), one would not think that this would be a quality eating establishment.  If you're looking for someplace where you can sit down at a table for a meal, you'll probably keep walking as you'll more than likely notice that large bar area in the front half of the restaurant, and the size/age of the clientele (which tends to be on the younger side, not that there's anything wrong with that).  But push past the crowds, and you'll see tables for eating in the back, as well as on the sidewalk if it's nice out.  (There is also a back door on Aliceanna as well)  While many businesses have occupied this space, Todd Conner's has been there since 2007, and seems to be a popular place to hang out and enjoy your Boh's and O's.  But we're not here for beers and baseball (well, ok, maybe).  We're here for crab cakes.  How do they compare?  Read along and find out!

The Mt. Washington Tavern has been around since 1979, priding themselves on serving a stiff drink with a heavy hand, and providing a comfortable neighborhood eatery.  Declared a historic landmark, the interior of the tavern is filled with artwork and decorations that honor their local heritage.  You could easily get lost in this place, as there is a connected maze of unique rooms throughout the tavern (after passing through the bar area with the carved wood, you wouldn't expect the back garden room).  Always having stuck to drinks during any visit, we decided it was time to give their food a shot.  How did their crab cakes hold up to expectation?  Let's find out!

The Baltimore Marriott Waterfront has to be one of the most convenient locations for a hotel around the Inner Harbor.  Located in Harbor East, it is centrally located for guests to walk as far as Canton or Federal Hill in either direction without the need to use public transportation (although if it's a hot day, you may want to take the Circulator, especially if you're looking to go up around Mount Vernon/Charles Village).  With all that there is to see and do in the area, one might scoff at eating in the hotel.  And in our opinion, we'd recommend venturing out and experiencing the true B'more crab establishments.  But if the weather isn't cooperating, or you've already been out and about (that walk from Federal Hill to Canton can be brutal to the uninitiated!), then you might want to consider staying in.  There are other seafood options in Harbor East, so is it worth hanging out at the Marriott, or should you go elsewhere?  Follow along and find out!

McCormick and Schmick's runs a variety of seafood restaurants across the United States under differing names.  The M&S Grill is their take on providing fresh seafood and aged steaks in a more relaxed setting.  Located in the Inner Harbor next to the Harborplace amphitheater, you can enjoy views of the USS Constellation, National Aquarium, and watch the hustle and bustle around Harborplace.  With the main McCormick and Schmick's around the corner, the CCR decided to sit outside on a nice day, enjoy the sun and a cold beverage, and see how the crab cake at the more causal location fares.  Continue on to see how it all went down.

Looking past Faidley's and G&M, the one name that has been synonymous with Maryland crabs/seafood is Phillips.  Since 1956, Phillips has been churning out seafood for Maryland tourists, starting out in Ocean City, MD and branching out to not only multiple locations in Maryland (Baltimore, Rockville, and Ocean City), but along the Mid Atlantic seaboard as well (Philadelphia, Atlantic City, Washington DC, Myrtle Beach).  In addition to sit-down restaurants, they also operate seafood buffets, express stands and airport locations as well as grocery/retail and foodservice divisions.  Certainly anyone with this kind of success, especially in an area known for its seafood, specifically crabs, must certainly know what they are doing.  The sign outside of their Baltimore location boasts "Maryland's Favorite Crab Cake".  But is it?  Continue on to find out!

Koco's Pub is one of those establishments that mainly only Baltimoreans will know about.  And even then, the locals may not know that Koco's is known for their crab cakes.  Even if a tourist happens to hear about Koco's and has an interest, chances are they may get a bit scared making the trek out there (especially if you're coming from downtown).  Located in Lauraville (NE Baltimore) since 1985, Koco's has a bit of a following, and is often interjected into discussions regarding where to go for crab cakes in Baltimore.  Do all of the accolades and awards reflect the true nature of these mystical crab cakes?  Follow along and find out!

Back in April, we reviewed the Backfin Crab Cake from Whole Foods, which received high marks.  During a recent trip to that very Whole Foods, I noticed that they were offering jumbo lump crab cakes.  Seeing how the backfin ones were pretty tasty, it would only stand to figure that the jumbo lump would be even better given the quality of food that Whole Foods typically carries.  So how did the jumbo lump crab cakes compare?  Let's find out!