Crab cakes in Maryland traditionally consist of no other ingredients than lump back-fin meat picked from steamed blue crabs, a very small amount of binder and maybe a spice with a significant tie to the state like Old Bay. The ingredients are formed into cakes and cooled in a refrigerator for a period of time allowing them to firm up. This is done to minimize the amount of binder needed to hold them together during the cooking process. The cold cakes are then heated for a short time through either the frying or broiling method.
Many restaurants and fish markets outside of the state of Maryland advertise their crab cake product as "Maryland Crab Cake" or "Maryland-Style" even though they are often made in a manner inconsistent with Maryland tradition. They may include many other ingredients that result in a lower percentage of crab meat being used along with a different taste. They may also substitute crab meat of the cheaper portunus pelagicus(blue swimmer) for that of the callinectes sapidus(blue crab) species native to the Chesapeake Bay. The foreign product is often harvested using methods and practices considered unsustainable in the United States, where the crabbing industry is carefully regulated to ensure sustainability.
