Pappadeaux Crab Cakes: Memories With Every Mouthful

July 14, 2016


This is a story about crab cakes. The best crab cakes anywhere in the world, and what they mean.

The Discovery of Crab Cakes

Around 20 years ago, my rambling maternal grandparents decided to turn in their fifth wheel for a house in Fort Clark Springs, Texas. Fort Clark is a former USA Cavalry fort, about 1.5 hours outside of San Antonio.

In San Antonio, there is a temple of gastronomical delight. It is known as Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen.

My parents discovered Pappadeaux. Mere moments after Tech Support and I arrived in Texas for our first visit, they whisked us through the doors, saying, “You have GOT to try the crab cakes.”

What’s So Great About These Crab Cakes, Anyway?

Pappadeaux crab cakes are the perfect food. The kind of food that transcends mere sustenance. You put the first bite in your mouth, and without any prompting from you, your eyelids drop closed so you won’t be distracted by extraneous sensory input. And you find yourself making that “mmm” sound that you’ve previously reserved for very, VERY expensive chocolate. This is not fast food. This is food that demands reverence.

Mmmmmm...

Mmmmmm…

The crust is first. Crispy, crunchy, and buttery without being the slightest bit greasy. I have no idea how they do that.

You break through it with your fork and discover that, unlike most crab cakes that are 50% filler, this cake is 95% crab. In actual, recognizable chunks that have clearly been removed from fresh crab legs only minutes before they arrived on your plate.

Did I mention the sauce? Dear gods of tasty, the sauce. Cajun butter sauce, in which dozens of little crawfish have drowned. But don’t worry – they died happy.

Tech Support and I would share an order of two cakes, and we’d have to draw a trench down the middle of the plate to prevent sauce stealing. It’s that good.

A Tradition is Born… And Ends

Pappadeaux crab cakes became an instant Texas tradition. Canada is a long way from Texas, so we were only able to visit once every year or two. We looked forward to crab cakes almost as much as we looked forward to visiting my grandparents. I had dreams about these crab cakes. Actual dreams. And while gluten and dairy are NOT my friends, I joyously ate the crab cakes anyway. Every bite was worth it.

But Grandpa has passed away, and Grandma’s decided to return to her beloved Rocky Mountains. A couple weeks ago, I flew down to Texas to pick her up and escort her north.

I stopped for lunch at Pappadeaux on the way, and saw THIS:

new crab cake TN

NOOOOOOOOOOO!

All Is Not Lost… And Many Things Are Found

Pappadeaux San Antonio has always had exceptional service, so I had a chat with my waiter (Keith). I explained that I had flown all the way from Canada to eat this crab cake, and that it would likely be the very last Pappadeaux crab cake I ever got to eat, and could he please, please ask the kitchen if they could still make them the old way?

And they could. And they did.

I’d never been in Pappdeaux alone before, but as I sat there, savouring my very special crab cake, I realized that alone was exactly the opposite of how I felt. Every bite was a memory. Sitting on the porch with margaritas, waiting for a table. The time Tech Support and I met my parents there, but in the vastness of the dining room, didn’t realize we both had tables (for 20 minutes – we had no cell phones and serious worry about car accidents). The time Tech Support and I requested extra butter sauce, expecting a tiny little dish, and received a soup bowl full (and yes, we ate it all). Taking my grandma for crab cakes after visiting my Uncle Ted in the VA hospital. The first time Tech Support, my dad, and I ate crab cakes after my mom passed away.

Thanks Keith! You earned that 50% tip.

Thanks Keith! You earned that 50% tip.

 

I ate my crab cake, and my eyes filled with tears.

It was beautiful, and heartbreaking, and perfect.

And while it’s true that my family will never again eat crab cakes at Pappadeaux San Antonio, all is not lost.

Apparently there’s a Pappadeaux in Denver. 🙂

 

Have you ever eaten at Pappdeaux? What’s your favourite dish? What other foods evoke memories for you? I’d love to hear your stories.

 

 



6 Comments on ‘Pappadeaux Crab Cakes: Memories With Every Mouthful’

  1. Gosh, you are a good writer! Even my eyes filled up… Thanks for sharing, Lindsey.

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    1. Awww – thank you, Antje! They are some very special crab cakes.

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  2. Perfect wee story — I could actually TASTE it all and then I cried. It’s been years since I ate at Pappadeaux, and now I have to make my own crabcakes to make sure they’re gluten free, but the butter sauce …. I’d forgotten that. Got to try to make that, too! Thanks for sharing your memories and your writing.

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    1. Oh, thank you! I don’t write about food very often, so the fact you could taste it is a huge complement (not to mention the crying). I would love your crab cake recipe. We tried making fish cakes once (a Nova Scotia traditional food) but it didn’t go well.

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  3. I ran across your story and live in San Antonio. I am blessed to have 2locations in which to get these awesome crab cakes. The old way is my fav. I would be happy to order you some and send overnight on some dry ice.

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    1. That is such a kind offer – thank you! I have a feeling they’d get seized by customs, though. Who could resist, lol?

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