Crab cake a beloved Palm Beach staple. Here are six of the best to try

M.M. Cloutier
Updated ·5 min read

Trendy menu items often spark buzz in Palm Beach’s dining-out scene while perennial favorites are taken for granted.

Not this time: Is there anything better than a good crab cake, a longtime beloved staple on this seafood-loving island?

Crab cakes at Palm Beach’s restaurants have improved over the years as chefs have endeavored to increasingly emphasize lump crab and use as few other ingredients as possible.

Bread-related and other fillers need not apply except sparingly.

So, which crab cakes are worth devouring? Here are six delicious ones — and sometimes they’re served with equally tasty side dishes.

SWIFTY’S AT THE COLONY

155 Hammon Ave.

If you know anything about Swifty’s at The Colony, you know it’s a people-watching delight (especially the poolside seating), but also that at least a few dishes stem from Swifty’s predecessor: the former same-named society hot spot in New York.

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And one of those dishes? Crab cakes, which are further inspired by another now-gone New York society bistro, Mortimer’s.

The crab cakes at Swifty's celebrate the "simplicity of the preparation" and a "secret ingredient."
The crab cakes at Swifty's celebrate the "simplicity of the preparation" and a "secret ingredient."

But what matters now is understanding how the crab cakes feature high-quality jumbo lump crabmeat “with little additional ingredients,” said Robert Caravaggi, the founder of both New York’s and The Colony’s Swifty’s.

What sets the crab cakes apart, he told the Daily News, “is the simplicity of the preparation and the secret ingredient that we can’t mention served simply with a side of Swifty's creamed spinach and Lyonnaise potatoes."

Swifty’s crab cakes (two per serving) are $55 at lunch and dinner.

THE SEAFOOD BAR AT THE BREAKERS

1 S. County Road

The crab cakes at this popular 20-plus year oceanfront restaurant have been buzzed about for years. Part of the allure certainly has to do with the setting, featuring a close-up Atlantic Ocean view through floor-to-ceiling windows.

The crab cakes at The Seafood Bar at The Breakers have been buzzed about for years.
The crab cakes at The Seafood Bar at The Breakers have been buzzed about for years.

The crab cakes are $45 for an appetizer (with remoulade sauce) and $70 for a dinner (with mashed potatoes, asparagus and remoulade).

“While many dishes at our restaurants have evolved over the years, our crab cakes at the Seafood Bar remain one of our signatures,” Sicignano said.

Since the recipe was created years ago by the hotel’s executive chef of banquets, Jeff Simms, “it has remained exactly the same with some slight changes to the accompaniments,” Anthony Sicignano, executive chef of restaurants at The Breakers, told the Daily News.

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“This dish,” he added, “is a longtime menu favorite that earns rave reviews because of its standout ingredient: the massive amount of jumbo lump crab included in each cake. We have guests who fly to Palm Beach for our crab cakes, and we never want to disappoint.”

PB CATCH

251 Sunrise Ave.

What’s important to know about crab cakes at PB Catch?

Well, for one thing, the seafood restaurant and raw bar is known for its fresh fare from the ocean (it also serves meat, vegan and other dishes).

The Maryland-style crab cake was among the featured items recently at PB Catch's Crab Night.
The Maryland-style crab cake was among the featured items recently at PB Catch's Crab Night.

More to the point, chef de cuisine Kevin Sawyer is a Baltimore native who has been a Maryland-style crab-cake connoisseur for as long as he can remember.

“Being born and raised in Maryland, crab cakes are part of my DNA and ours (at PB Catch) are as good as any you would get there (in Maryland),” he told the Daily News.

Jumbo lump crab “is the star,” he said.

At lunch, a crab cake appetizer at PB Catch is $22. At dinner, a crab cake appetizer is $25 and served with herbs, sesame slaw and white miso emulsion.

RENATO’S

87 Via Mizner

In the Old-World bougainvillea-blooming setting of Via Mizner, Renato’s is right at home with its fine-dining Italian-leaning fare — but you will find a tasty American crab cake here.

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At lunch, many people order the appetizer ($30) either as a starter or a light mid-day repast.

Renato's in Palm Beach is known for fine-dining Italian, but also crab cakes.
Renato's in Palm Beach is known for fine-dining Italian, but also crab cakes.

“Our crab cakes have been popular for many years and they are more popular now,” executive chef Javier Sanchez told the Daily News.

“That’s either because so many more people are coming to Palm Beach, which is true, or because everyone likes how we do crab cakes and the word is spreading. Using a lot of crab is important, but I also started adding a bit more lemon zest to the recipe, which gives the crab cakes a brightness and tang that I love.”

Renato’s lunch crab cake appetizer typically is served with tomato bruschetta, lemon-Dijon aioli and cabbage-carrot julienne.

CAFÉ L’EUROPE

331 S. County Road

As is the case with other restaurants in town, there is a “secret” ingredient to the crab cakes at Café L’Europe, but the culinary team and chic restaurant’s owners aren’t about to reveal it.

According to co-owner Emanuela Marcello, the “secret” ingredient stems from a customer’s crab-cake recipe that has been adapted and enhanced by Café L’Europe’s executive chefs, Alain Krauss and Benoit Delos.

Crab cakes at Cafe L'Europe have a unique origin.
Crab cakes at Cafe L'Europe have a unique origin.

The crab cakes ($34 each) are made with mostly Maryland lump crab and a panko crust. And “no fillers,” Marcello stresses.

“The recipe is simple and classic and the dish is one of our best on the menu,” she told the Daily News. “As we know, Palm Beachers love a good crab cake, a coastal dish befitting of its popularity.”

The crab cake at Breeze Ocean Kitchen comes with a Cajun-inspired accompaniment.
The crab cake at Breeze Ocean Kitchen comes with a Cajun-inspired accompaniment.

Breeze Ocean Kitchen

100 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan

Considering the expansive al fresco oceanside-patio space at Breeze Ocean Kitchen at Eau Palm Beach Resort in Manalapan, the setting is oh-so Florida.

But order the crab cake here and its Cajun-inspired accompaniment is a delightful surprise: a black-eyed pea maque choux.

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Breeze Ocean Kitchen’s crab cake also comes with a smoked-tomato butter — another surprise — and composed greens.

All of these components come together in a tasty “symphony,” Eau executive chef Neill Bailey told the Daily News.

"What truly sets the crab cakes at Breeze Ocean Kitchen apart is the harmonious marriage of flavors and textures,” he said. “Each bite is a symphony of coastal indulgence, a testament to culinary artistry and attention to detail.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Crab cakes in Palm Beach: Here are six delicious ones to try