Since childhood I have been in search of the ultimate crab cake. Call it a harmless obsession. A mild culinary neurosis. Whatever. I dream of a crab cake so utterly packed with fresh, sweet lump crabmeat that only the barest trace of seasoning is required to hold it all together.
The search for the ultimate crab cake has led me deep into the Chesapeake region many times, and one unlikely Irish pub in Annapolis almost provided me with my dream crab cake. Almost.
The search is finally over. It ended overlooking the atmospheric marshes and waterways of Manahawkin New Jersey (why would I make this up?) at a rustic crab shack known as Mud City Crab House. Here was my heart’s desire. A crab cake so moist, so deeply satisfying, so full of lump crab meat as to be almost baroque in its perfection. The surrounding nautical atmosphere, from weathered ship’s lanterns to faded wainscotting set exactly the right tone.
If you’re even remotely close to the Atlantic City region of the Jersey shore, stop by Mud City Crab House and understand what divine crab is all about.
