7 Best Frozen Crab Cakes Of 2023
There’s something about a savory crab cake that is so incredibly satisfying. These delicious little cakes can be dressed up to serve at a fancy meal or event or you can heat up a couple in the frying pan for a quick and delicious dinner.
Regardless of how you plan on enjoying your crab cakes, buying frozen ones is the way to go. Since crab meat is so delicate, it can spoil quite quickly if kept in the fridge. And nothing tastes quite as unpleasant as seafood that has gone bad.
But how do you go about choosing the best frozen crab cakes? Are there certain things you should look for when buying them?
It can be tough to figure out which one is the best, so we’ve pulled together this guide to help you figure out the 7 best frozen crab cakes out there.
So, how do you choose the best frozen crab cakes? First, you’ll want to choose your budget since there can be a big price difference in products. Then look for products that contain 70% crab meat, are ready to cook, have meat that has been steam-cooked, and have been black light inspected.
Read on to learn what to look for when choosing the best frozen crab cakes for all your culinary needs and the 7 that make our best-of list!
How To Choose The Best Frozen Crab Cakes
When it comes to choosing the best frozen crab cakes there are some things to look out for. Check out the following Buyer’s Guide to help you pick the best frozen crab cakes for your group size, culinary needs, and taste buds!
1. Choose Your Frozen Crab Cake Budget
Depending on how many crab cakes you need, how fresh you want them, and the quality that you’re looking for, a package can range in price from under $10 for 2 crab cakes to over $100 for a dozen high-quality frozen crab cakes.
If you’ve never tried a crab cake before, then you might want to purchase one of the more affordable packages on the list.
If you’re having a special event and you know you want to get the best of the best and need a dozen or so, choose one of the higher-priced options.
We’ll list the crab cakes in order of price, though remember that the prices can fluctuate over time, so always check through the list before purchasing to find the one that best suits your budget and needs.
2. Look For Frozen Crab Cakes Made With At Least 70% Crab Meat
If you’re paying top dollar for crab cakes, then make sure the ones you buy are made with at least 70% crab meat.
Where possible, we will indicate the percentage of crab meat used in the different crab cake brands listed below.
3. Look For Ready To Cook Frozen Crab Cakes
If you’re spending money on high-quality frozen crab cakes, then you don’t want to have to spend a bunch of time preparing them to cook.
Look for brands that you can fry or bake up with no added steps required.
4. Look For Crab Meat That Is Steam Cooked
Not every product will indicate how they cook their crab meat, but where possible, look for steam-cooked crab meat since this meat will be the most tender and delicate.
Steaming helps preserve the natural crab flavor so you get the tastiest final product.
5. Look For Frozen Crab Cakes That Are Black Light Inspected
Nothing ruins a delicious crab cake faster than biting into a piece of shell. That’s why it can be so helpful to choose a brand that uses a blacklight to look for shell fragments in their mixture.
Checking the crab cake mixture prior to forming and freezing means you are less likely to bite into a big chunk of crab shell.
The 7 Best Frozen Crab Cakes
Now that you know what to look for in terms of the best frozen crab cakes, you can check out the choices below to find the one that best fits your dietary requirements, taste preference, and budget.
Whether you want to serve them at a party or enjoy a special quick and delicious dinner, frozen crab cakes are a great choice.
Crab cakes can be time-consuming and expensive to prepare on your own, so having someone else do the hard work makes them taste all the sweeter.
Here are our top picks of the best frozen crab cakes that you can pick up for all of your party and culinary needs.
| Rank | Product | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Handy Seafood Ultimate Crab Cakes | 12 pack. Made from steamed crab meat. Black light inspected. Cryogenically frozen for great texture. Ready to cook from frozen. |
| 2. | Phillips Frozen Signature Crab Cake | 12 pack. Maryland style. Ready to cook from frozen. 70% crab meat- jumbo and special crab. |
| 3 | Phillips Frozen Chesapeake Style Crab Cake | 24 pack. Made with claw meat for denser texture. More than 70% crab meat. Great appetizer size at 2 ounces each. Ready to cook. |
| 4. | Cameron’s Seafood Store 4 Oz Maryland Crab Cakes | 6 pack. 4 ounces each. Made with 75% crab meat. Crab meat is precooked. Crab cakes are ready to cook. Shipped fresh to be frozen. |
| 5. | AppetizersUsa Premium Lump Crab Cakes | 45 pieces. Great appetizer platter. Almost 100% crab meat. Best if deep fried. Ready to cook from frozen. |
| 6. | Gorton's Maryland Style Crab Cakes | Great price (under $10). 2 pack. Ready to cook from frozen. Wild caught crab. Sustainably sourced. |
| 7. | Whole Catch Maryland Style Crab Cakes | Great price (under $10). 2 pack. Ready to cook from frozen. Wild caught crab. |
1. Handy Seafood Ultimate Crab Cakes
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These crab cakes are a little more expensive, but that’s because they come in a 12-pack.
They’re also steam-cooked and cryogenically frozen for the best texture.
These crab cakes are blacklight inspected to make sure no shells make it into your cakes, and they’re ready to cook from frozen.
2. Phillips Frozen Signature Crab Cake
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This 12-pack of Maryland-style crab cakes is loaded with flavor!
Each cake contains at least 70% jumbo, blue swimmer, and special crab meat and can be pan-cooked right from frozen to save time and energy in the kitchen.
It doesn’t say whether the meat is steam cooked or blacklight inspected, but the recipe comes right from Phillips Seafood Restaurant, so you know it’s going to be good quality!
3. Phillips Frozen Chesapeake Style Crab Cake
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Another great option from Phillips seafood restaurant, this box has 24 frozen crab cakes.
Each one is made with claw meat for a denser texture and includes more than 70% crab meat per cake.
Thanks to the 2-ounce size they make a great appetizer. Each one is ready to cook right from frozen.
4. Cameron’s Seafood Store 4 Oz Maryland Crab Cakes
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This 6-pack of 4-ounce crab cakes is made with 75% crab meat that is precooked so each one is ready to cook.
While these crab cakes aren’t shipped frozen, they can be frozen upon delivery.
The crab meat is pre-cooked and is made with Lump Maryland crab meat that is mixed with bread crumbs, mayonnaise, eggs, and a unique seasoning blend!
5. AppetizersUSA Premium Lump Crab Cakes
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If you’re looking for some frozen crab cakes to serve as an appetizer at your next event, then these ones from AppetizersUSA are the way to go.
The package comes with 45 pieces and each one is 0.75 ounces of almost pure crab meat that are ready to cook!
They are best if deep-fried, so that is something to keep in mind before ordering.
6. Gorton’s Maryland Style Crab Cakes
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These fabulous crab cakes are a great price for those on a budget.
You get 2 Maryland-style crab cakes made with wild-caught crab, responsibly sourced crab meat with diced onion, butter, and savory seasonings.
They’re ready to cook on either the stovetop or in the oven.
It doesn’t say the percentage of crab meat per cake or whether they are blacklight inspected, but they make a great budget-friendly and tasty choice.
7. Whole Catch Maryland Style Crab Cakes
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Another great budget-friendly choice. You get 2 Maryland-style crab cakes for under $10.
They’re handmade with tender & sweet premium wild-caught crab that is ready to cook.
It doesn’t say the percentage or whether they are blacklight inspected, but it’s the perfect amount for a midweek treat!
If you’re on the hunt for some new crab recipes to try out, definitely give these ones from the folks over at Tasty a try!
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