One of the most exciting things for foodies of all ages in the United States is the chance to try so many regional specialties. New York and Chicago are famous for their pizza. Cincinnati is known for its chili. Texas and Kansas City are among many places known for top-notch barbeque.
Philadelphia may be known as a cheesesteak mecca, but it’s also home to world-famous Crabfries, the specialty of the house at Chickie’s and Pete’s. For nearly 50 years, the Philly eatery has dished up Crabfries — crinkle-cut fries sprinkled with a house blend of crabby spices. The famous fries are served with an equally flavorful dipping companion — a white cheese sauce (officially known as White Creamy Cheese Sauce).
According to the restaurant, they’ve served more than five million Crabfries. Not bad for a recipe created after a lot of experimentation – and without seafood. During the restaurant’s first year, crabs were a summer specialty, and Pete was left with lots of crab seasoning at the end of the summer. The seasonings were used on French fries, and Pete kept tinkering with the recipe and listening to customer feedback until it was perfected.
Something for every tastebud
With a seafood-centric name, one might expect Chickie’s and Pete’s specialty of the house to have lots of crab in it. But the dish doesn’t contain crab and its famous seafood flavor instead comes from the seasoning. The actual recipe remains a secret, but homemade recipes typically make use of Old Bay seasoning, a popular seafood topper that contains red and black pepper, paprika, and celery salt.
While the original Crabfries don’t have crabmeat, Chickie’s and Pete’s still offer ways to satisfy customers’ cravings for seafood. In addition to the original fries and sweet potato crabfries (known as Crabby Sweets), the eatery offers Ultimate Crabfries and Lobster Crabfries seasonally. Ultimate Crabfries up the seafood ante with real crabmeat atop sauce-covered fries, allowing seafood enthusiasts to enjoy crab and crab seasoning together.
Lobster Crabfries adds butter-poached lobster over top of a serving of fries. Chickie’s and Pete’s menu also includes other seafood options, including lobster and crab pizzas and even a crab cake sandwich, giving hungry customers plenty to pick from when they visit the famous Philly sports bar.
