🦀   Ritter Mortgage Award Winning Recipes   🦀

Maryland Knows Its Crab Cakes.
But Whose Is Best?

Every Marylander has an opinion about Crab Cakes. A favorite spot. A family recipe passed down and perfected over generations. Two of our Ritter team members may have relocated — one to North Carolina, one to the Virginia tip of the Eastern Shore — but they still insisted they had the best crab cake recipe… so we did what any reasonable mortgage company would do.

We turned it into a crab cake contest!

🦀 The Great Ritter Crab Cake Cook-Off

Under three minute  ·  High stakes  ·  Zero regrets

Jon Ritter  ·  Mortgage Broker  ·  Crab Cake Judge  ·  Maryland Loyalist

🏆 The Award-Winning Recipe

Lisa’s Maryland Classic  ·  Gold

Lisa’s classic Maryland crab cake — the one that took the gold. Print it, make it, and see what the fuss is about.

↓ Download the Printable Recipe Card (PDF)


Enter the Summer Giveaway — Win $100!

The Runner-Ups Deserve Their Moment

Great crab cakes don’t lose, and these are all restaurant qualify. Here are the runner-ups.


🥈 Kim’s Crab Cake — “It’s All About the Crab”

Kim’s philosophy is simple: get out of the crab’s way. No filler theatrics. No unnecessary distractions. Just clean, classic, Eastern Shore logic on a baking sheet.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb backfin or lump crabmeat
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup Mayo (NOT Miracle Whip — Kim is serious about this)
  • 2 slices white bread
  • Old Bay Seasoning

Directions:

  1. Toast 2 slices of white bread, cut off the crusts, and cut into tiny cubes — think ¼ inch.
  2. Beat 1 egg, ½ cup mayo, and ¾ tsp Old Bay together.
  3. Gently fold in clean crabmeat.
  4. Add ½ cup bread crumbs, folding gently until combined.
  5. Add another ¾ tsp Old Bay, sprinkling evenly as you fold.
  6. Lightly pack into a ½ cup measuring cup and turn out onto a lined baking tray. The cake should hold the shape of the cup.
  7. Broil on low for 15 minutes, adding time by the minute until egg mixture is firm. Do not flip.


🥉 Kellie’s Southern Twist — NC Knows What It’s Doing

Kellie moved to North Carolina and apparently took her crab cake game with her. Her recipe calls for Duke’s mayo — non-negotiable. Jon used Hellman’s during the cook-off. The record will reflect this. A rematch has been scheduled for 2027.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs lump crabmeat
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • ½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • Pinch ground white pepper
  • 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
  • Pinch ground mustard seed
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ cup panko plain breadcrumbs
  • ¾ cup Duke’s mayo (this is not a suggestion)
  • 1 egg + 2 egg whites
  • Olive oil for cooking

Directions:

  1. Gently pick through the crab and remove any shells.
  2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together — be careful not to break up the crab any more than necessary.
  3. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Scoop about ⅓ cup of mix per cake into the hot pan. Don’t overcrowd. Flatten to about ¾ inch thick with a spatula. Cook until brown, about 3 minutes, flip and cook another 2 minutes until golden throughout.
  4. Kellie’s addition: Coat with additional melted butter and sprinkle with Old Bay. Yes, really. Do it.

📅 Mark your calendar: Lisa’s Maryland Classic vs. Kellie’s Southern Twist — the rematch is coming in 2027. This time Jon will use the right mayo.

🦀 Got a recipe worth bragging about? Throw it in the ring.

Submit your favorite crab cake recipe — one you’ve actually made — and you’re entered to win. Two winners, $100 each. No Old Bay minimum required.


Enter the Summer Giveaway