From: The Washington Post

The classic crab cake is a simple dish: fresh meat, a little seasoning and just enough eggs, mayo and/or bread to hold it together. Yet just one in three restaurants made the cut for our list of Washington's best crab cakes, equal to the number that left us feeling, well, crabby.

BlackSalt Restaurant and Fish Market
Two 4.5-ounce jumbo-lump crab cakes, $28 to $32; available as a dinner entree if the crab cakes are in stock at the market

Sauteed just long enough to create a crisp top and bottom, then finished briefly in the oven, these crab cakes were about the handsomest of our taste test. Bits of jalapeño pepper should have been a deal-breaker ingredient, but they work, as do the aioli and onion. The fish market at the front of the house earns points for being one of the few establishments currently using Maryland crab. The crab cake sold at lunch comes on a rich brioche bun with lemon-caper aioli and a smart house slaw ($16).

4883 MacArthur Blvd. NW, 202-342-9101; http://www.blacksaltrestaurant.com.

DC Coast
Two 2.5-ounce jumbo-lump crab cakes, $28

Minimalism is the watchword of this crab cake. The recipe calls for Gulf of Mexico crab with just a pinch of bread crumbs, a little mayonnaise, mustard, egg, lemon and chives, and a dash of Tabasco sauce and cayenne pepper for a tickle of heat. The crab is all jumbo lump, but the cakes hold together thanks to a nice, crisp exterior. These are pricey for the size, but other touches on the plate -- a tangy piquillo pepper sauce, saffron vinaigrette and arugula -- elevate the cakes to the level you'd expect at this genteel power-lunch spot.

1401 K St. NW, 202-216-5988, http://www.dccoast.com.

Jerry's Seafood
Jumbo-lump baby "bomb," $26 for six ounces, $34 for 10 ounces

"Home of the Crab Bomb" is the motto of this no-frills family restaurant with three Maryland locations, and for good reason. The snow-white meat from Venezuela is picked on premises. The marble-size chunks are then tossed with a touch of mayonnaise and Old Bay, not a bread crumb in sight. The result is a seemingly impossible but awe-inspiring combination of delicacy and all-American satisfaction.

Multiple locations, http://www.jerrysseafood.com.

Johnny's Half Shell
Two 3-ounce jumbo-lump crab cakes, $32.50

Of all the offerings on the menu, a great crab cake is one of the hardest to get right, says chef Ann Cashion. She has pulled it off in the beautifully formed cakes served at her sprawling Capitol Hill grill. Each patty pulls apart to reveal hefty lumps of sweet American crab, seasoned with just enough Old Bay, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce. Our only complaint: They're just not big enough.

400 North Capitol St. NW, No. 175, 202-737-0400, http://www.johnnyshalfshell.net.

Kinkead's and Hell Point Seafood
One 4-ounce jumbo-lump crab cake, $16, appetizer; two for $32

Bob Kinkead knows how to make a crab cake: Never deep-fried, the meat is mixed with mayonnaise and seasoned with celery, tarragon, lemon and just a pinch of bread crumbs to hold it together. Both the formal Washington restaurant and the dockside Annapolis space -- ask for a seat on the patio -- follow the blue crab season from the Gulf up the East Coast for the sweetest meat, shown off by a rich mustard creme fraiche sauce and fresh corn relish.

Kinkead's, 2000 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 202-296-7700, http://www.kinkead.com; Hell Point Seafood, 12 Dock St., Annapolis, 410-990-9888.

PassionFish
Two 4-ounce jumbo-lump crab cakes, market price (our visit: $26)

Chef Chris Clime keeps his crab cakes simple: jumbo-lump meat plus a touch of Old Bay, Tabasco and chives for seasoning. Then he lets his customers dress them up. Add two sides such as french fries, mashed potatoes or asparagus, and dip the flaky, snow-white meat in one of four sauces including Thai curry or beurre blanc, though we're partial to the butter pickle tartar that comes standard on the lunchtime sandwich.

11960 Democracy Dr., Reston, 703-230-3474, http://www.passionfishreston.com.

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