There are many varieties of crabs sold in markets, from the common blue crab of the East Coast to the Dungeness crab of the West to stone crabs of Florida. There also are Jonah crabs and peeky-toes, snow crabs and Alaska king, and imported varieties, many of which are similar to the blue swimming crab. Any of these varieties can be used for crab cakes.

The essence of good crab cakes is the crabmeat, so make sure you buy from a trusted source. Purchase picked crabmeat (the meat has been removed from the shell); it’s available refrigerated, frozen, pasteurized or canned. If you can’t get fresh, don’t worry; there are very good frozen, pasteurized and canned products. Look for ones with minimal added ingredients. When calculating how much canned crabmeat to buy, you may need to purchase more than the weight stated because the can also contains liquid, which will be drained. And don’t be surprised to find the canned pasteurized crabmeat in the refrigerated section of a store.

Crabmeat (particularly blue crabmeat) is sold in a variety of styles. The size of the pieces and the type determines the cost. For crab cakes, a combination of styles often works best. For example, combine lump crabmeat (because it has nice-size pieces) with claw meat (for its flavor and price).

Jumbo lump (lower left) Big pieces of beautiful white crabmeat; it’s the most expensive but perfect when you want large pieces of crab to stand out.

Lump (lower right) Nice-size pieces of white crabmeat but not as big as jumbo lump and less expensive.

Backfin (upper left) This meat, from the crab’s body, can contain some larger pieces but also a lot of small shredded pieces. It’s not as attractive as lump, but it tastes good and costs less.

Claw (upper right) Typically the least expensive crabmeat, it’s reddish brown in color and comes in small pieces. It has a firm texture and strong crab flavor, making it a favorite in crab cakes or where color doesn’t matter.

Looking for a good crab cake recipe? Try Eastern Shore Crab Cakes.