5 Restaurant Chains With the Best Crab Cakes, According to Chefs
Crab cakes are always a crowd-pleaser for seafood lovers, but can vary widely from one restaurant to the next. The best versions let sweet, tender crab take center stage, with just enough seasoning and filler to hold everything together. To find the chain restaurants serving standout crab cakes, Eat This, Not That! turned to Therese Buchanan, home chef, food blogger & recipe developer at Tessie’s Table. From Maryland-style cakes to jumbo lump versions served with rich sauces, these are five chain restaurants worth visiting when you’re craving crab cakes.
Ruth’s Chris Steak House
At Ruth’s Chris Steak House, the crab cakes are all about keeping the focus on the crab. The restaurant serves three jumbo lump crab cakes in sizzling lemon butter, giving them a rich finish while letting the naturally sweet crab flavor shine. “Ruth’s Chris Steak House serves three jumbo lump crab cakes in sizzling lemon butter,” says Buchanan. “The crab meat remains the main ingredient, while the hot butter gives the outside extra richness without covering up the sweet flavor of the crab.”
Bonefish Grill
Bonefish Grill takes a Maryland-style approach, pairing lump crab meat with a crisp, browned exterior and red rémoulade. The result is a crab cake with plenty of flavor that doesn’t rely on heavy breading or excessive seasoning. “Bonefish Grill makes its Maryland-style crab cakes in-house with lump crab meat and serves them with red rémoulade,” Buchanan explains. “They have a nicely browned exterior and enough seasoning to complement the crab without making the cakes taste overly salty or heavily breaded.”
Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen
If you like your seafood with a little more seasoning, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen brings a bolder Gulf Coast style to the plate. Its crab cakes develop a crisp exterior while staying moist inside, with plenty of crab in every bite. According to Buchanan, “Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen gives its crab cakes the bolder seasoning you would expect from a Gulf Coast seafood restaurant.” She adds, “The outside is cooked until crisp, while the center stays moist with noticeable pieces of crab throughout.”
Legal Sea Foods
Legal Sea Foods keeps its signature crab cakes relatively light on filler, letting super lump crab do most of the work. A Dijon-based mixture and cracker crumb coating help bind the cakes, while the tangy mustard sauce adds balance. “Legal Sea Foods makes its signature crab cakes with super lump crab, a Dijon-based mixture, and only a light coating of cracker crumbs,” says Buchanan. “The mustard sauce served alongside them has enough acidity to cut through the richness without overpowering the crab.”
Eddie V’s Prime Seafood
Eddie V’s Prime Seafood goes big with its Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, which is packed with large pieces of crab and designed to feel more substantial than your average appetizer. Minimal filler keeps the texture meaty rather than dense or bready. “Eddie V’s Prime Seafood serves a Jumbo Lump Crab Cake that feels substantial enough to share but is good enough to order for yourself,” Buchanan states. “The large pieces of crab give it a meaty texture, and the restrained use of filler keeps it from becoming dense or bready.”