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Chef Justin Cherry

Dressed Crab: An Early American Favorite

History Campers will join me in making this delicious historic recipe for lunch. Not only does it celebrate the historic foodways of Maryland and its bounty, but it represents a dish that shares ingredients with another similar dish everyone should be familiar with: The Crab Cake.

The recipe comes from a manuscript written by Anne Chase in 1811, the daughter of Samuel Chase—Signer of the Declaration of Independence. Another signer, friend, and frequent dinner guest of the Chase family was William Paca—who was a fellow political colleague of Samuel Chase. Both Paca and Chase assisted in opposing the Stamp Act in 1765 and the recipe is thought to have been a favorite of William Paca’s when visiting Chase.

Session Handout [2 pages]


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Chef Justin Cherry

Chef Justin Cherry (halfcrownbakehouse.com) is the Chef/Owner of Half Crown Bakehouse, a mobile 18th-century clay oven that specializes in colonial foodways. He also works for Husk Restaurant in Charleston, SC. An avid participant in living history of both the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, he draws from his deep passion for history. Independent research and onsite archival work has lead him to become exceedingly knowledgeable on colonial foodways and grains of the 18th-century. His work at Mount Vernon will investigate the impact of George Washington’s Mount Vernon in 18th-century foodways.