Every New Item on Red Lobster’s Crabfest Menu, Ranked & Reviewed

• What It Is: seafood-stuffed mushrooms topped with lump crab meat in creamy sauce
• Price: $15

This is a luxurious spin on Red Lobster’s seafood-stuffed mushrooms appetizer, which I tried while reviewing the happy hour menu. Personally, I preferred them without the creamy crab sauce, because the breadcrumb topping stayed crunchy, and it wasn’t as heavy on the stomach. While it was still buttery and herbaceous, it needed a touch more salt (a spritz of lemon would have been nice too). There was also a substantial pool of melted butter and cheese surrounding the mushrooms, which paired well with the biscuits, but felt a bit superfluous. The crab’s fishiness was subtle, and its texture was tender and supple. The look and feel of the sauce reminded me of country-style gravy.

• What It Is: shrimp, smoked sausage, corn and red potatoes, served in a hot shake-and-serve bag with your choice of flavor
• Price: $31

For either boil, you’ll need to choose up from roasted garlic butter or Cajun butter for the base. I ordered the latter for this boil, considering the components. The kitchen accidentally made me two Mariner’s boils (more on that next), so I asked for a side of smoked sausage since the rest of the ingredients are in both boils anyway. The Cajun base was very black peppery and herbaceous. The shrimp was tender and succulent without being chewy, and the sausage was surprisingly spicy with a pleasantly chewy casing. The downsides were that the larger potatoes were a little undercooked in the center, and their taste was rather bland. But at the end of the day, this was a good amount of seafood for the price.

• What It Is: Maine lobster tail, shrimp, snow crab legs, corn and red potatoes, served in a hot shake-and-serve bag with your choice of flavor
• Price: $46

While I preferred the Cajun base to the roasted garlic, I’d recommend this fully loaded boil over the Sailor’s alternative. The roasted garlic base was very mild and almost sweet; I thought the garlic flavor could have been more robust, but it gained some vibrancy from a few dashes of vinegary hot sauce. The corn was perfectly cooked, tender and scrumptious. The lobster tails, although on the small side, were succulent and flavorful. This boil really let the seafood shine, but don’t be shy about asking for lemon and Tabasco to spruce it up.

• What It Is: mashed potatoes topped with lump crab meat in creamy sauce
• Price: $8

Texturally, the mashed potatoes were on point: fluffy, smooth and creamy. Their richness increased tenfold once doused in crab cream sauce. Both components were thoroughly seasoned, and I enjoyed the slight citrusy notes of the crab topping. The meat was also soft, fresh and of solid quality.

• What It Is: baked potato topped with lump crab meat in creamy sauce
• Price: $8

As much as I enjoyed the mashed potatoes, I preferred the textural variety and more complex flavor of the baked potato. It was visually more intriguing than the white-on-white crab mash. The potato’s skin not only offered color and crispness to the dish, but also an earthy edge that played well with the lemon-kissed topping. I liked the crunch and taste of the coarse salt finish on the spud as well.

• What It Is: asparagus topped with lump crab meat in creamy sauce
• Price: $11

I didn’t expect to prefer the green veggie side over both starchy options, but here we are. It had a significantly brighter flavor than the other accompaniments, largely due to being finished with fresh lemon. The asparagus was also cooked beautifully tender-crisp and retained a verdant color and pleasant crunch. This is a stellar pairing for steak. Speaking of…

• What It Is: your choice of steak or salmon topped with lump crab meat in creamy sauce, served with asparagus and your choice of side
• Price: $26

This steak was literally perfect. I went with the sirloin (it’s cheaper than the filet), and while I expected it to be a thinner cut, it was surprisingly thick and very juicy. It came medium rare, as requested, with a great outer crust. The citrusy crab topping cut through the rich, savory flavor of the beef, while still offering additional indulgence to the main. As for the sides, the asparagus was a hit even without the crab topping, and the rice was savory and tender, fluffy without being sticky.