Krabby Patties are the signature burger served at the Krusty Krab restaurant in the popular animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. Their unique taste has made them a staple food in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. However, the question of what exactly goes into a Krabby Patty has puzzled fans for years. Many have speculated that the patties contain crab meat, which would explain the name. But is this macabre theory true? Let’s examine the evidence.
The Origin of the Krabby Patty
In the SpongeBob SquarePants universe, the Krabby Patty was created by Mr. Krabs, the founder of the Krusty Krab, along with his rival Plankton. The exact recipe is a closely guarded secret, only known by Krabs and Plankton. This has led Plankton to repeatedly try to steal the formula in order to replicate the patties and drive customers to his own restaurant, the Chum Bucket.
The Krabby Patty made its first appearance in the very first episode of SpongeBob SquarePants in 1999. Since then, it has become the most popular food item in Bikini Bottom. The Krusty Krab is always packed with customers craving Krabby Patties. Clearly, there’s something special about them that keeps people coming back.
Clues About the Ingredients
Throughout the series, there have been hints about what goes into a Krabby Patty. In one episode, SpongeBob forgets to put pickles on a patty, revealing that pickles are a standard ingredient. The audience has also seen Krabby Patties being prepared with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese, ketchup, and mustard.
However, it’s been made clear that there are secret ingredients as well, which is the source of the big mystery. Mr. Krabs protects the full recipe with his life, refusing to ever disclose it. This leads many to speculate that the secret ingredient must be pretty wild.
Could it really be crab meat? Some key clues lend credibility to this theory:
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The name itself – Krabby Patties implies some connection to crabs
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In one episode, Mr. Krabs eats a patty and says “So that’s what I taste like!” suggesting he tastes like crab.
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Plankton once worried there was no meat in the formula, and Mr Krabs responded defensively, indicating there is some kind of meat
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The restaurant proudly boasts there are no vegetarian options, because all patties contain “secret meat”.
Countering the Crab Theory
However, some sources close to the show’s production have denied the Krabby Patty contains crab meat. The formula was intentionally designed by creator Stephen Hillenburg to be completely vegetarian with no animal products.
In addition, the show’s writers are prohibited from implying fish eat each other, meaning Mr. Krabs wouldn’t be serving crab meat to fish customers. Voice actors from the show have even joked that the patties may contain hummus or no meat at all.
The “secret meat” references are likely just red herrings intended to keep viewers guessing. And while Krabby certainly refers to crabs, Patty is just a common burger name. Krabs himself is the only crab in Bikini Bottom, so he wouldn’t be harvesting his own kind for patties.
The Verdict
While the crab meat theory makes logical sense at first glance, further analysis suggests it ultimately doesn’t hold water. The preponderance of evidence points to the Krabby Patty being a 100% vegetarian patty, despite the occasional misleading clue. Mr. Krabs zealously guards the complete formula, but all signs indicate it does not contain any actual crab.
The true ingredients remain an eternal mystery to SpongeBob fans. But the notion that they include crab meat appears to be just a morbid fan theory with little real evidence behind it. Krabby Patties contain no crabs, just a secret plant-based formula that makes them irresistibly delicious!
Introduction: “Krabby” Patty Recipe
Dont tell Plankton, but as any astute watcher of Spongebob Squarepants knows, Krabby Patties arent actually made with crab. Or even “krab.” Theyre made out of chum, leftover scraps, making Krabby Patties the hot dogs of the sea. Im going to show you how to make a gourmet Krabby Patty, and it doesnt contain any crab, either. Nope. Its all shrimp. And it came out even better than I expected.
Why shrimp? Ive learned from many attempts at making Krabby Patties that making them with crab is a waste of good crab. You fry it up in hot oil in a pan and you lose a lot of crab flavor. Plus, its beaucoup expensive. You may end up adding tons of breadcrumbs to stretch the recipe to feed more than one person, and then it ends up tasting more like breadcrumbs than crab. Ive experimented with this recipe over the years. At one point, I started adding shrimp to bind it together and to stretch the crab. I kept adding more shrimp each time I made this until I recently came to the conclusion that it should just be all shrimp. Tastier, yet less expensive.Of course, if you prefer crab, use crab. A mixture of both is a wonderful compromise.
However, I dont recommend calling them shrimp burgers because whenever I do that people look at me warily. They waver when I offer them one. But, if I say, “Want a Krabby Patty?” theyre immediately on the team. “Ill take two!” they exclaim.
What youll need for 8 burgers
- 1 1/2 pounds of peeled, deveined shrimp
- 1 egg
- 10-12 regular-sized or smaller hamburger buns
- Lemon zest to taste
- Old Bay seasoning
- 1 Tbsp of our favorite hot sauce (I use Crystal)
- 1 tsp celery seed
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- Vegetable oil and/or butter for frying
Toppings
- Butter lettuce
- Thinly sliced tomato
- Pickled onions (from this lovely Instructable)
- Tartar sauce
- Cocktail sauce
Notes
I make my own tartar sauce. I deplore mayonnaise. Instead, I use ranch dressing as a base and add 1/3 part diced onion, 1/3 part diced dill pickle, 1/3 part diced celery, and a good tablespoon of dill weed.
I also make cocktail sauce with a lot of horseradish. Take a jar, fill it 3/4 full with ketchup; fill the remaining jar with roughly equal amounts prepared horseradish, malt vinegar, and hot sauce. Its powerful stuff so a little dab will do ya. Waldo enthusiasts may notice that theres a red pepper in the picture. I meant to put that in my chum but forgot it. Glad I didnt use it. Keep the chum pure.
Step 1: Prepare Your Chum
You will want to use a food processor for this. Its super easy and takes virtually no time.
First, take 3-4 of the hamburger buns and toss them into the food processor. Add all the dried spices, turn it on, and let it turn this into a very flavorful bread crumb mixture. Pour that into a big bowl.
Same thing with the shrimp. Toss it in and pulse it until the mixture is mostly very small pieces with some chunks of shrimp visible. My goal is to get this to be almost the consistency of raw breakfast sausage, the kind you make into sausage patties. Toss this into the bowl with the breadcrumbs. Add the lemon zest and hot sauce.
Crack an egg in there and mix it all up by hand. Youre halfway there.
Robot Chicken – Krabby Patties
FAQ
Is the Krabby Patty made out of crab?
Several fan theories have been formed to guess the secret ingredient. According to series animator Vincent Waller, “there is absolutely no meat in the Krabby Patty. There’s no animal product in there”, something which was always planned by series creator Stephen Hillenburg. Mr.
What is the real ingredient in Krabby Patty?
We do know that the hamburger consists of lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, tartar sauce, mayo, flour, tumeric, sea salt, land salt, barnacle shavings, the patty, mustard, ketchup, the secret formula, two buns and onions. If you Google the secret formula then you will come up with, “a pinch of King Neptune’s Poseidon Powder”.
Does the Krabby Patty have seafood?
The patties are vegan, similar to a veggie burger. According to executive producer Vincent Waller, series creator Stephen Hillenburg let slip that the patties have no animal product whatsoever in them. Writer and voice for Plankton, Doug Lawrence has also confirmed that the Krabby Patty has “never been meat.”
Is Mr Krab a crab?
This crimson sea crab is the owner of the Krusty Krab in Bikini Bottom where he serves as boss to his employees, SpongeBob and Squidward. Mr. Krabs works diligently to prevent his arch nemesis Plankton, who operates the Chum Bucket, from stealing his Krabby Patty Secret Formula.