Real Maryland Style

Try eating my crab cakes like we did in Maryland: With saltine crackers and yellow mustard!  You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Notice my crab cakes are made with fresh lump crab meat.  Just look at that claw meat!

What to Eat With Crab Cakes

By Sam Eggleston, eHow Contributor

A garnished crab cake.

What to Eat With Crab Cakes

You know you're going to make crab cakes, but the question of what to serve with it still remains. From side dishes to condiments, crab cakes are well accompanied by a variety of foods.

Side dishes

Depending on where you're from or where you had your first crab cake, there are a variety of side dishes you may have encountered. In Maryland, where the crab cake is king, the No. 1 side dishes are french fries and coleslaw. According to "Southern Maryland This Is Living" magazine, fresh asparagus, biscuits and potato salad are also popular choices, as is corn on the cob. According to "Baltimore Magazine," Faidley Seafood in Lexington Market serves pickled cucumber salad, pickled beets, macaroni salad, marinated vegetables and sweet carrot salad with pineapple and raisins with its crab cakes.

Condiments

What's a crab cake that doesn't come with something to dip it in? Some people prefer to use plain tartar sauce or cocktail sauce to dip their crab cakes in, but others like dips such as remoulade, horseradish sauce, hollandaise sauce, mustard, ketchup, salsa or even a little red wine vinegar.

A lemon wedge for squeezing over the crab cake is a necessity.

Get Creative

Don't let the "norms" of crab cake sides slow you down with your creativeness in the kitchen. Try variations on the traditional dipping sauces. In Hugo's Frog Bar and Fish House in Chicago, they serve their lump crab meats with pink mayonnaise, which is made with ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and 1½ tablespoons minced green or red sweet pepper all mixed together. Wasabi mayo is another potential condiment, as is a dill-based sauce.

Don't hesitate to try new things with your crab cakes and new sauces. You never know what is going to be a hit.

In the Tampa, Fl area? Call Jazzy to order your Maryland Style Crabcakes 813-468-3426