This Costco Seafood Item Has Shoppers Divided

Some shoppers on the east and west coasts have noticed that Costco now carries fresh crab cakes, but their reception so far has been mixed. One Reddit user found them pleasant enough, noting they wouldn't be out of place at a Maryland restaurant: "Had worse, had better, have eaten hundreds." Others were not so kind.

Some people balk at the cost: $21.99 per pound, for a package of 4 that often weighs around 1.3 pounds. "Not at that price," complained one Reddit user. But, another replied that their Whole Foods was selling jumbo lump crab cakes for $52 per pound. The other Reddit user plainly stated, "I'll take the Costco deal." A handful of shoppers may be okay with the price, but show concern about the ingredients.

The long ingredient list raises questions; with one skeptical voice on Reddit expecting only crab with "a small amount of binder like egg, maybe a tiny bit of bread crumbs, [and] some seasoning." But, that's far from the case here. A closer look at the label reveals that it's also an ingredient list for dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and every other individual component of the crab cakes, down to the fact that celery salt is made of celery seed and salt. And, if that wasn't long enough, there's also an allergen warning and disclosure.

For what you get, Costco's crab cakes are a pretty solid deal. Even shoppers in Maryland, a state that's famously picky about crab cakes, have noticed them fly off the shelves. But, if you've ever wondered why restaurant crab cakes taste so much better than homemade, it's because they use more jumbo lump crab meat and fewer fillings. This means more crab in every bite, the hallmark of a great crab cake.

That's why Whole Foods has the best grocery store crab cakes, according to customers. But, that's also why they're so much more expensive than Costco's. Costco's crab cakes likely use a lot of claw meat, which is coarser than jumbo lump meat and more strongly tasting of crab. This helps make Costco's a decent compromise between top quality and peak affordability.

But, it's not only Costco's new, fresh crab cakes that are a questionable deal. There are some other seafood options to avoid at Costco, including Rastelli's Surf & Turf box containing 12 each of filets mignons and jumbo lump crab cakes. Unfortunately, customers say these crab cakes often feature way too much filler for a box that costs nearly $400 and is frozen. It really puts Costco's fresh crab cakes in perspective.