The best crab cakes in New Jersey according to you

It started in Maryland when I was in my 20s. I had my first crab cake at a place called Schaefer's Canal House in Chesapeake City, Maryland. That was all it took.

That state is known for its crab cakes and you'd be hard-pressed to find a bad one anywhere in that state. Well, like most great things, when they get to New Jersey we tend to make them better.

Maybe it's the dense population and the stiff competition between all of our amazing restaurants. I've tried making them myself and they are pretty good, but I like to sample every crab cake in the state wherever I go. Some places have a secret ingredient or a long-established recipe. Maybe it's the crabs they use.

Whatever it is, wherever I go to eat out, if they're on the menu and the server doesn't make a funny face when I ask how good the crab cakes are, I order them.

After having them almost all over the state and doing some exhaustive research, we've come up with more than a dozen great restaurants that serve their delicious version of the Jersey crab cake.

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