It was 1 a.m. on a Sunday night/Monday morning, and my last meal was seven hours ago. I was starving. However, I was too tired to cook and it was far too late for takeout. I stood in the kitchen for a solid minute, trying to decide if I should just thug it out and go to bed, when I suddenly remembered the frozen crab cakes that my mom bought a month ago.

Philip’s Maryland-style Crab Cake Minis, procured a la Costco, had the flavor and calories to adequately satisfy my hunger in the wee hours of the night. 

 The first thing I noticed about the crab cakes was that the crab meat was very loosely packed together–some of the mini cakes fell apart as I plated them. This did make it a little difficult to eat, especially when I tried to dip it in the knock-off tartar sauce I made to go with it, but it was not a big deal. 

 I actually quite enjoyed the flavor. Sometimes frozen seafood comes with an off putting taste, but I did not find that to be the case here. It was savory, with a hint of herbs, and went along well with the sauce. The texture was also light and nigh-fluffy. Cooking it in the air fryer made some of the edges a little crispy, which I also enjoyed. 

Overall, eating the Philip’s Maryland-style Crab Cake Minis was a pleasant experience that I would not be opposed to repeating. Though the structural integrity of the crab cakes was weak at best, they made a quick and satisfactory midnight meal. Given the savory-ness of the cakes, I would recommend eating it with a light salad. My ranking: 7/10; would eat again.