Crab Feast

Maryland is world-famous for Blue Crabs- or Maryland Crabs as they are sometimes called.  Since the mid-1800's Maryland Blue Crabs have been caught commercially in Chesapeake Bay becoming a major industry for the state. In fact, the word "Chesapeake" is a Susquehanock word meaning "great shellfish bay." Native Marylanders look forward to crab season and the  social event known as a "crab feast."

We decided to find out what all the fuss was about and returned to one of our favorite "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives," Stoney Creek Inn, to experience steamed Maryland Crabs. Our table was prepared for our crab feast- a heavy pad covered with brown butcher paper (makes for easier clean-up) and a roll of paper towels. There is nothing fancy or dainty about this adventure!

Adam and Janne considered the mallets toys... and acted accordingly! At least they didn't draw on the brown paper!

Learning to "pick a crab" requires having the right tools (a mallet and sharp knife), an experienced teacher, a desire to eat with your fingers and perseverance. Crab mallets are traditionally made of wood and are about seven inches long. Some people prefer shellfish picks, others a sharp paring/utility knife. In our case, we had a sturdy plastic knife with a sharp point on the end. Our server, Ashley, volunteered to teach us the finer points in crab picking. She made it look so easy... but looks can be deceiving! Eating with our fingers was not an obstacle since we consider many things "finger food" that others might not. That leaves perseverance which I think hinges on how badly you want something. Time would tell on that one.

Ashley suggested ordering appetizers and then a dozen large steamed crabs along with a couple of sides (sweet potato fries and macaroni salad). The appetizers were delicious... fried calamari, crab balls (like crab cakes), a seafood quesadilla (with shrimp and crab- yum!) and a giant pretzel covered with crab dip and cheese and then broiled (heavenly!). Finally the steamed crabs arrived.

The crab shells were caked with seasoning... and smelled delicious!

Ashley pulled up a chair and showed us how to pick a crab. First she pulled off the legs, discarding the ones too small to get any meat out of, then tapped the larger ones with the mallet to crack the shell and pulled the meat out using the tip of the knife. Using a knife, she pried off the apron on the belly of the crab, pulled it back and cut it off. Then she flipped the crab over (belly-side down) and used her thumb to pry the shell up and off, also placing it in the discard pile.

Ashley patiently demonstrated how to pick a crab.

The internal organs of the crab were now exposed and she went to work to remove the gills (often called lungs), heart,stomach, etc. which are all very colorful (yellow, green, red, orange, brownish). She said all of it was edible but the gills (lungs) will make you wish you hadn't eaten them. She suggested discarding all of that- and we quickly agreed!

Yeah, cleaning out the innards was pretty disgusting...

The pile on the right is the discard pile from just one crab!

After removing the membrane she pulled out chunks of white crab meat. It's a painstakingly slow process to pick and pull all the meat out of the legs and body- especially for a beginner. Richard said that he thinks crabs are "zero-calorie food" since you expend more energy getting the meat out than there are calories in the meat! While I wasn't such a fan of the process, I did enjoy the fruit of my labor. The crab meat was sweet and succulent- and surprisingly we could taste the seasoning caked on the outside of the shell. It was truly a tasty treat!

Janne was excited about her first crab! All three of them said they would do it again... I did two crabs and decided it wasn't worth the effort. I guess you can tell who persevered!

Somehow the dozen crabs disappeared- except for the pile of shells, innards and legs we left behind!