I was looking for some sort of frozen seafood appetizer/entree in my local supermarket frozen section. That’s when I found this line of frozen seafood from Yankee Trader Seafood, a local company based in Massachusetts. I love a good fish cake and I also like cheap eats, so it was hard to pass up a box each of Yankee Trader’s Fish Cakes and Lobster Cakes for about six bucks. As always, I decided to look into the company to see what Yankee Trader Seafood is all about.
About Yankee Trader Seafood
According to the company website, Yankee Trader Seafood is a seafood processor that was founded in 1994 by Gerry McAdams. Today the company is still family run and is also woman-owned by the founder’s daughters and grandchildren.
Yankee Trader Seafood is based in Pembroke, Massachusetts and even though I was not familiar with them, they have a national reach. You can also order from their website, whatever product they have in stock. They obviously focus on seafood, but I have also seen beef empanadas and cauliflower cakes listed on their website store.
About Yankee Trader Lobster Cakes
Both packages contain two frozen cakes in a heavy cardboard container. A good first impression was seeing lobster listed as the first ingredient. The second is Lucky Natural Flake, which is surimi made from Alaska pollock. What I didn’t see is STPP or other phosphates listed. So the first two ingredients are phosphate-free seafood, sounds like a quality product before I open the box.
Preparing and Serving
I decided to just sample the lobster cakes and save the fish cakes. The box says you can either thaw them or cook them right from the freezer. I chose the latter and preheated the oven before cooking them about 16-17 minutes. In that time a mild, but pleasant aroma of lobster wafted from the oven. If you like your seafood cakes a little crunchier leave them in for another minute. I served my lobster cakes with a bit of lemon over mashed potatoes.
The Verdict on Yankee Trader Lobster Cakes
The cakes had a crunchy outside and had a soft texture inside along with the crunchy bits of vegetables. It reminded me of a traditional New England fish cake made with mashed potatoes but instead made with lobster (and fish from the surimi) instead of cod or hake. These style of cakes have a smooth texture, unlike a lump crab cake. Overall it was a mild lobster flavor but it was not overpowered by the other ingredients, which I like. Too many times seafood cakes get overpowered by garlic or bell pepper.
Overall I thought the lobster cakes tasted pretty good and at the price I got them, were an incredible value. I would seriously consider buying them again for a quick and easy lunch, snack, or part of a seafood dinner. I’m looking forward to sampling their fish cakes next and will be looking out for any other products at local supermarkets.
