Living in Washington, DC, close to the Chesapeake Bay and home of the Maryland crab, crab cakes are bountiful from May until October. As much as I love these things, I rarely get to eat them. You see must cooks mix the crab with breadcrumbs. It is the gluten in bread that helps bind the crab mixture together and keeps it from falling apart. Not good if you are allergic to gluten like me and 1% of the world’s population.

That is until, drum roll please, Chris’s marketplace. Yes, that is Chris in the picture making his famous crab cakes. Oh, and did I mention he makes gluten-free crab cakes as well? I see Chris every Sunday at the Dupont Circle farmer’s market. I often stop by to get some of his gluten-free crab cakes. But, you have to get there early or he sells out. Unless, you call ahead and ask him to make a batch for you, in which case he saves them until you get to the market.

Chris has regular crab cakes and ones with lump crab meat – luscious large chunks of crab that melt in your mouth. He also has mini crab cakes that make great hor’d oeuvres. The crab cakes freeze well and can be brought out in the dead of winter for a quick meal.

You can catch Chris at the Dupont Circle Farmer’s market on Sundays (9 am to 1pm), Annapolis on Sundays (check times), Penn Quarter market on Thursdays (3 pm to 7 pm) and in Falls Church on Saturday. If you want to order your crab cakes, call him at 301-565-1681. But, save some for me!!