Okay, so yesterday I got this wild hair to try something totally random – making something like the Baltimore Orioles baseball team would eat back in 2005? I dunno, it popped into my head after seeing an old game highlight reel online. Figured, why not? Let’s see what happens.
Getting the Idea
First thing, I stared blankly at my kitchen. Orioles… Baltimore… 2005… Crab cakes! Everyone thinks Baltimore crab cakes, right? Seemed like an easy win. But how to make it feel “2005”? Honestly, I had zero clue. I just decided to keep it super simple, like stuff you’d find in any cupboard back then. No fancy modern tricks.
Digging Stuff Out
Rummaged through the pantry and fridge like a madman. Grabbed whatever seemed basic:
- That old can of crab meat hiding in the back (hopefully not too gross)
- Plain crackers to crush up
- A single egg for sticking things together
- A glob of mayonnaise
- Regular old yellow mustard
- Basic salt and pepper
Yeah, seriously, that’s it. Felt kinda boring, but hey, 2005 probably was kinda boring.
Time to Cook
Drained the crab meat first. Looked okay, smelled okay. Whew. Crushed up the crackers on the counter – made a total mess, crumbs everywhere. Didn’t measure, just dumped it all into a bowl with the crab. Cracked in the egg. Squeezed the mayo bottle hard, probably too much. Blobbed in some mustard. Salt and pepper from the shakers. Then I got in there with my hands and mixed it all up like meatloaf. Felt squishy and weird.
Shaped it into two wobbly patties. They barely held together. Heated up the only pan I own – my trusty old skillet – with some oil. Got it hot. Plop went the patties. Sizzled nicely at first. Cooked for a few minutes, peeked… bottom looked kinda okay? Flipped ’em super carefully. They mostly survived! Cooked the other side same way.
The Big Taste Test
Took them out. Looked… well, they looked like lumpy crab blobs. Not restaurant pretty, that’s for sure. Let ’em cool for a sec, couldn’t wait. Took a bite.
Huh. It wasn’t terrible? The crab flavor was there, kind of. Mostly tasted like mayo, crackers, and that tangy mustard. Texture was mushy inside but crispy outside. Way too salty though – my generous shaking earlier was a mistake. Whoops. Still, hot and crispy is always kinda good. Just ate ’em straight out of the pan.
What Did I Learn?
Turns out, my “Orioles 2005 Crab Blob” experiment was… fine. Nothing amazing, but it worked. It tasted like something basic you’d throw together without looking up recipes or buying weird ingredients. Maybe that was the 2005 vibe? Reminded me that simple stuff often works okay, even if it’s ugly and you mess up the salt. Felt good to just do it without overthinking. Probably won’t win any awards, but hey, lunch was sorted. Might try adding less salt and maybe some lemon next time.
