Hey crabby.....UPDATED

** NOTE TO READERS: Some people, who have called and emailed me, seem to think the great crab cake search is over. It has only begun. Eric Ruth and I are chasing down your suggestions. We'll have a story about the hunt and our findings, most likely in late July. Stay tuned. I'll let you know well in advance of publication. Thanks. PT.

So the Great Crab Cake search is well underway and I promised an update.

Stopped in Jake's Seafood House Restaurant at First Street and Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth Beach last week to give the crab cake there a try. Several readers sent me emails touting these cakes.

I asked for the crab cake sandwich ($11.99) - which my server suggested that I order fried, not broiled - and only ate the cake, not the bun, lettuce and tomato. (But I couldn't resist the fries, especially after topping them with malt vinegar. )

It had lumps of crab meat, some bready filler, but not too much, and hints of mustard, perhaps from the crab itself and maybe from a Dijon condiment bottle. It's a little on the small side. I found myself dabbing on tartar sauce to perk up the flavor, which isn't a great sign.

This is a perfectly fine cake, but not a life changing, oh-my-God-you-gotta-go-there crab cake.

The quest continues.

Let them eat cake

It's on!

The great crab cake search of the summer has been begun.

Eric Ruth and I are sifting through your suggestions and comments. I began the quest with a trip to Seasons Pizza, a surprising (well, to me) suggestion from a number of readers. That's one tasty broiled cake ($13.99). Photo to the right was taken by Bob Craig, another crab cake fanatic.

I'll keep you updated on the progress. We'll publish the results of the search later this summer.

Where to find the best crab cakes?

A restaurateur once told me there was only one dish he could never, ever, take off or replace: The crab cake.

People are passionate about crab cakes. And you're sure to find this staple of Mid-Atlantic region cuisine on most menus.

But doesn't it seem like every restaurant crows that it has "the best crab cakes" around?

I want to know what you think.

I'm looking for suggestions of places to check out - in and around Delaware.

Tell me where to find meaty cakes packed with sweet crabmeat - not flat, mushy-tasting hockey pucks that pass for one of our region's favorite foods.

Comment below or email me at ptalorico@delawareonline.com.

Later this summer, we'll run a roundup of The Best Crab Cakes.

Get ready to pass the cocktail and tartar sauces.