5 Unique Facts about Heinen’s Crab Cakes

The following story was written by Heinen’s partner Alex Miles. Photography was provided courtesy of Heinen’s Contributor, Carolyn Hodges of The Dinner Shift.

You don’t have to travel to the coastal shores of New England to indulge your crab cake cravings thanks to Heinen’s premade crab cakes, which offer loyal seafood lovers a fresh, high-quality option that’s much closer to home.

“We identified an opportunity and worked very closely with our trusted partners to create our own crab cake – one that competes with top restaurants,” says Heinen’s Chef, Jacki Novotny.

What else should you know about Heinen’s seafood cakes? Here are five things to remember as you shop for our latest creation.

1.They’re Made Using Only the Highest Quality Ingredients

Heinen’s in-house seafood experts and chefs are committed to globally-responsible sourcing and work hard to deliver the highest quality, best-tasting seafood to customers. These premium crab cakes, which are sold in packages of two, are free of preservatives, artificial flavors and synthetic colors.

“Compared to a lot of cakes currently on the market, we’re using the cleanest, freshest seafood available,” says Chef Jacki. “If a seafood distributor doesn’t meet our rigorous standards, we don’t sell it.”

2. They Have a Freshness You Can Taste

Another major difference with the Heinen’s crab cakes? They contain a much higher ratio of meat versus fillers such as breadcrumbs and seasonings. There’s so much meat that they deserve their own shell! Even better, every bite offers incredibly fresh flavor.

“There’s nothing worse than a crab cake that doesn’t even taste like crab,” says Chef Jacki. “Ours contain big chunks of meat – versus shredded pieces – and very little of everything else. The key was to add only enough of the extra ingredients to pack the cakes together without having them fall apart.”

3. They’re an Effortless Dinner Solution

Whenever you’re pinched for time or prefer a no-hassle meal option, our crab cakes require little-to-no work. They thaw within one to two hours, or you can also cook them straight out of the freezer. You can bake them in the oven for roughly 8-12 minutes or fry them in a pan. It depends on your own preference!

“While it can be tricky to make seafood cakes from scratch, there’s nothing intimidating when it comes to our options,” says Chef Jacki. “However, they taste so fresh that people will think you did them all on your own!”

4. They’re Easy to Pair

These seafood cakes are perfect for dinner parties, showers or casual evenings at home.

“The cakes pair nicely with grilled asparagus, or you can make a wonderful sandwich with a brioche roll that’s topped with arugula and a fan-favorite sauce like Heinen’s Lemon Dill Sauce.”

Other sauces to consider include remoulade, tarter or hollandaise.

5. They Rival the Best East Coast Seafood Restaurants

If you’re looking to add a new dimension to your seafood game, look no further than these savory, mouthwatering crab cakes.

“As someone who has lots of family on the East Coast, I took a very personal interest in creating these seafood cakes,” says Chef Jacki. “Truly, there’s not much out there that compares. This is right up there with the best of the best seafood restaurants.”