Crab & Salmon Cakes from The Fresh Market Review
Choosing is like picking a favorite child.
I popped into The Fresh Market, and ended up buying two different seafood cakes for dinner. Although their meat department has a whole array of fishy cakes available, I was torn between the “World Famous Salmon Cake” and the “Maryland Crab Cake.” So, I purchased both. My little hobbit stomach should have only had one — but choosing between them was like picking a favorite child.
Just kidding. I wouldn’t eat my children.
I’m going to review these together, as a side-by-side comparison. Both seafood cakes are chilled, but fresh. Although they appear pre-cooked, they need to be baked again at home before eating. They’re each 3 ounces, but sold per item, not weight. Don’t judge my grubby fingernails — I’m an artist, and this is how we roll.
Maryland Crab Cake from The Fresh Market
Alright, so I’ll tell you about the Maryland Crab Cake first. Or you can just feast your eyes upon it instead. Look at it. Here it is:
Yes, it’s incredibly moist inside, and ever-so-slightly crisp on the outside. Chock full of brightly colored red and green pepper pieces. According to the ingredient list, this crab cake also features Meyer lemon juice and green onions.
It mainly consists of soft, thin crab pieces. The crab meat is shredded, so there are no lumps, per se. In my humble estimation, it was a bit too soft. There are some tender (but not soggy) bread bits, but fortunately not so much that it overwhelms the crab. The filling has a lightly sweet taste with a wonderful spicy aftertaste.
There’s virtually no “crust.” Again, this is a rather soft patty. The softness/lack of crust might improve with a longer cook time or higher temperature. More about that later.
The filling is fairly oily from the mayonnaise, but not offensively so. Personally, I thought the flavor improved after it had sat on my plate a bit and cooled substantially — the spices and other ingredients seemed to “marry” as it approached room temperature.
World Famous Salmon Cake from The Fresh Market
Next, the “World Famous” Salmon Cake. And let me add that I’m generally suspicious of anything that brands itself as “World Famous.” But, I’ll make a healthy exception here. This IS, in fact, a pretty yummy seafood cake. If it isn’t already “world famous,” perhaps it should be.
This little guy is crisper and firmer than the crab cake, with a surprising cheesy taste. The ingredients include Monterey Jack Cheese, which contributes a rich, tangy taste. Unlike the crab cake, this patty is not sweet, but very savory. There’s a slight spice taste that is different from the crab cake; the ingredients list Anaheim chili pepper and lime juice.
The patty forms a slightly crispy crust on top (and a bit on the bottom). Surprisingly, it doesn’t ooze or change shape — it remains in a high dome during and after baking. Mine didn’t shrink, either.
I found a few green pepper pieces, but as a whole, the salmon cake is not as colorful as the crab cake. The meat is nearly white. I found the lack of color in the salmon flesh a bit off-putting, but my taste buds relished it anyway. The consistency is less oily than the crab cake, but not dry. If you like chewing things (I do), you may prefer this texture. There are fish flakes and lumps that are chewable, as compared to the crab cake which was all shredded and slippery. Overall, this salmon cake is meaty, with little “fillers” added. Definitely a stronger fishy/protein taste than the crab cake.
Because the salmon cake has little color, I would pair it with a colorful side item. My choice of the nearly-white Vermont Macaroni and Cheese was a poor selection — not enough color/contrast! This salmon cake was yummy and elegant enough that I’d consider it for entertaining purposes.
The flavors of the two seafood cakes are very different, so it did not feel redundant to eat both at a single meal. In fact, it was quite enjoyable to eat them together and compare the different flavor and texture profiles. If The Fresh Market sold a mini sample pack of their seafood cakes, I’d be all over it. Make it so.
As mentioned above, I ate my fishy cakes with a serving of Vermont Mac and Cheese from The Fresh Market Deli. I might get around to reviewing that later. Maybe. Here is the happy trio on my dinner plate.
Ingredients in The Fresh Market Seafood Cakes
I ate these before I looked at the ingredients, which was probably wise.
Here are the ingredients in the Maryland Crab Cake:
- CRABMEAT (CRAB MEAT, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE TO RETAIN COLOR)
- MAYONNAISE (SOYBEAN OIL, VINEGAR, EGGS, EGG YOLKS, SALT, SUGAR, WATER, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, GROUND RED PEPPER, DRIED GARLIC, MUSTARD OIL)
- PANKO BREADCRUMBS (WHEAT FLOUR, CANE SUGAR, YEAST, SEA SALT)
- LIQUID EGGS (WHOLE EGGS, CITRIC ACID, 0.15% WATER ADDED AS CARRIER FOR CITRIC ACID)
- SWEET PEPPERS (SWEET PEPPERS, WATER, SUGAR, VINEGAR, SALT, CITRIC ACID, ASCORBIC ACID, CALCIUM CHLORIDE)
- LEMON JUICE (MEYER LEMON JUICE AND LEMON JUICE, NATURAL FLAVORS)
- GREEN ONION
- HEAVY CREAM (HEAVY CREAM, GELLAN GUM)
- SEASONING (SUGAR, SALT, SPICES, GROUND MUSTARD, MUSTARD FLOUR, PAPRIKA, AND EXTRACTIVES OF PAPRIKA)
- WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE (DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR MOLASSES, SUGAR, WATER, SALT, ONIONS, ANCHOVIES, GARLIC, CLOVES, TAMARIND EXTRACT, NATURAL FLAVORINGS, CHILI PEPPER EXTRACT)
- PARSLEY
And here are the ingredients in the World Famous Salmon Cake:
- SALMON
- MAYONNAISE (SOYBEAN OIL, DISTILLED VINEGAR, EGGS, EGG YOLKS, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. CONTAINS LESS THAN 2 PERCENT OF SALT, WATER, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, GROUND RED PEPPER, DRIED GARLIC, MUSTARD SEED, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA [TO PROTECT FLAVOR], MUSTARD OIL)
- BREAD CRUMBS (BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, DEXTROSE, YEAST, SALT)
- MONTERREY JACK CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES, POTATO STARCH AND POWDERED CELLULOSE ADDED TO PREVENT CAKING, NATAMYCIN [NATURAL MOLD INHIBITOR])
- EGGS (WHOLE EGGS, CITRIC ACID, WATER)
- ONION
- LIME JUICE
- ANAHEIM CHILE PEPPER
- GARLIC
- WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE (DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR, MOLASSES, SUGAR, WATER, SALT. ONION, ANCHOVIES, GARLIC, CLOVES, TAMARIND EXTRACT, NATURAL FLAVORINGS, CHILI PEPPER EXTRACT)
- KOSHER – SALT
- SPICES
Cooking Instructions for Seafood Cakes from The Fresh Market
Fortunately, both seafood cakes bake at 375 degrees. The label on each seafood cake said to cook for 8-12 minutes, so they don’t need to be cooked individually. For me, 14 minutes was the magic number. I used a parchment lined baking pan.
Because I invested $12 and my tummy was hungry, I was too scared to try my countertop toaster oven. Maybe next time. Instead, I used my large conventional oven. I was impressed that there is very little oil ooze after baking. Although the cakes are soft, they maintain their shape nicely, and don’t seem to shrink or flatten.
I may opt to cook these a bit longer next time, or at a higher temp, to get better crusting — especially for the Maryland Crab Cake.
Price for for Seafood Cakes from The Fresh Market
These are each $5.99. The helpful employee at the meat counter told me these seafood cakes are buy one, get one free on Mondays. I have not returned on a Monday to confirm this, but perhaps I shall someday. My future would be brighter with more of these fishy cakes in it.
The End.
More Reviews You Might Like (or Hate)
Check out these other reviews I’ve recently written:
- Publix Deli Fried Cheese Curds
- Costco Gyro Meal Kit Review
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- Costco Deli Enchilada Bake Review
- Del Real Chicken & Cheese Tamales Review
Author’s note: I have no affiliation with The Fresh Market, and I was not paid to write this review. I purchased these fishy cakes with my own money.
