Crabs....

Since there seems to be a decent amount of people from VA and MD lurking these boards, who here loves to go crabbing? I cannot WAIT to go out and catch some crabs. We usually use the box traps with decent results. My old man uses a trot line sometimes aswell with pretty good results. All I can say is, I cant wait to steam up some Maryland blues! My old man got a small dinghy last year with a 5 hp motor and had great results on the South River. I was deployed last summer, but oh man, I cant wait to get out this year!

Also, whats everyone consensus on the mustard. I for one, am a HUGE fan! Mustard, FTW! :rockin:

I love crabbing. When I was a kid we used to go out to the floating piers when the squid were running. We drop crab pots off one side and jig for squid off the other. Go home with a few pounds of squid and our limit on dungeness crab. Nothing beats dungeness.

ChshreCat said:

Nothing beats dungeness.

Click to expand...

Except blue crabs!!!



From last year.....

Skins_Brew said:

I cannot WAIT to go out and catch some crabs. :rockin:

Click to expand...

You're sick.

Skins_Brew said:

I cannot WAIT to go out and catch some crabs.

Click to expand...

I dearly hope she's worth it....................







Yeah, yeah, I know.........

Skins_Brew said:

Since there seems to be a decent amount of people from VA and MD lurking these boards, who here loves to go crabbing? I cannot WAIT to go out and catch some crabs. We usually use the box traps with decent results. My old man uses a trot line sometimes aswell with pretty good results. All I can say is, I cant wait to steam up some Maryland blues! My old man got a small dinghy last year with a 5 hp motor and had great results on the South River. I was deployed last summer, but oh man, I cant wait to get out this year!

Also, whats everyone consensus on the mustard. I for one, am a HUGE fan! Mustard, FTW! :rockin:

Click to expand...

That's one thing I miss about Vancouver Island. Damn, I really need to move back there.

Never used mustard with crabs before. What do you do with it? Dip? Sauce?

The mustard I speak of is not actually mustard like the condiment. When you pick a blue crab there is this yellow stuff inside the shell that resembles mustard the condiment. It is actually a part of the crabs digestive system. Its quite tasty and best when its gets mixed with a nice big piece of crab meat. Usually, people are 50/50 on eating the mustard.

I live on the edge of the Great Plains, about as far as you can get from the ocean (Hudson's Bay excepted), and my all time favorite food is crab. The 'mustard' is likely the liver that turns into a paté when cooked. I eat the paté.

You guys are killing me.

Almost as good as King Crab......

MikeFlynn74 said:

Almost as good as King Crab......

Click to expand...

Which, in turn, is almost as good as Dungeness.

Ah. I don't remember anyone eating that part out west, at least in BC.

Raised and still living in MD, and I can't stand blue crabs straight. The taste is just too overwhelmingly crabby for me. Now, I do love me some crab cakes and just about anything else you'd use crabmeat in. What is funny is that SWMBO is from Florida and it baffled me that she had never heard of Old Bay before. Wtf, it's Old Bay!

dude,
never been crabbing but if there is beer involves send me an IM and I am there.

-Stafford, VA Joe

Yea I was reading some other threads on another board about mustard and apparently it tastes like crap in other crabs. Crab mustard is also known as, "Maryland Caviar."

Fusorfodder said:

Raised and still living in MD, and I can't stand blue crabs straight. The taste is just too overwhelmingly crabby for me. Now, I do love me some crab cakes and just about anything else you'd use crabmeat in. What is funny is that SWMBO is from Florida and it baffled me that she had never heard of Old Bay before. Wtf, it's Old Bay!

Click to expand...

What part of Maryland were you raised? Western? Well, at least you like Old Bay.

llazy_llama said:

Which, in turn, is almost as good as Dungeness.

Click to expand...

which is almost as good as snow crab.

Crabbing is my favorite form of relaxation.



also, see avatar.

I like crabbing, and I like crabs, but I have to say, the smallish ones I always get while catching them myself make for too much work when eating. I'm happier buying the nice big ones by the dozen so I know that there's enough meat to justify the work in opening them up.

Yeaaaaa NJ Tomato guy thats what I am talking about. Whats your take on the mustard? Its an awesome weekend, but I think its a tad too early for crabbing. Maybe in like 2 -3 weeks.

GregR said:

which is almost as good as snow crab.

Click to expand...

Not having tasted Blue Crab, I can't say for sure but snow crab has got to be the best eating crab I have ever eaten. And I'll be getting some fresh crab shortly as the season opens here soon.

Last year I got some packaged crab given me.
morepics032.jpg picture by nflder - Photobucket

And you can see Howlingdogbrewer cooking cold water shrimp at last years Big Brew. shrimp picture by nflder - Photobucket

man all this crab talk is making me hungry. I think I know what I'm having for dinner.

One of the best things about blue crabs is we usually catch them ourselves. Bay to steamer to table. Even if you buy them at a local seafood market around here chances are they were caught that day or perhaps the day prior. I dont see all you snow crab lovers out there catching them!! Blue Crabs >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> All!

Blue crabs are BY FAR the freshest crabs anyone will eat. Unlike dungeones and king, blues are almost always alive when they go into the steamer. Personally though I think eating them is alot more work than is worth is.

We don't have blue crabs where I am from. Dungeness and red rock crabs are what we used to crab for. And they were alive up till boiling point.

The "mustard" you guys talk about eating. You do know that dioxin's in the water get concentrated in there, right?

Never had a blue crab. Anyone wanna ship me some crab meat?

You cant get it canned? I wont eat the mustard just because of how nasty the water is that they come out of.

I've had blue crabs once... sort of a must-try down here. I thought it was a lot of work for very little meat. They smelled a lot better than they tasted. Probably all that Old Bay.

I thought it was funny about the mustard. It seems to be sort of a "manly" thing to do to eat it. In fact it is the hepatopancreas (think liver and pancreas in one organ) of the crab and serves the function of filtering it's blood. If I was alive 200 years ago I probably would have eaten the mustard. But now these waters are too polluted. I wouldn't trust it and every now and then a Health Department will issue a warning against eating it.

Even knowing how baaaaad the "mustard" is for me, I still eat it. I only know one other person (my stepdad) that will eat it; every one else in my family (MDers for life) won't eat it. HWMO mentioned the dioxins thing (probably mercury too), so I have cut back to only eating like 2-5 of them when we do get crabs.

I LOVE the taste of a good one - I think you have to like really stinky cheese, or really strongly flavored foods to appreciate the hepatopancreas.

Chesapeake Bay blues are the BEST crabs.

It's just sad that we probably won't be eating them for too much longer.

It is quite a bit of work for a small amount of meat, but 9 out of 10 times I eat crabs, its usually in a social setting (aka 'Crab Feast') so sitting there for 3 or 4 hours boozing it up with friends isnt a major concern for me.

Give me the mustard! I only eat crabs maybe 5 or 6 (if I am lucky) times a season, so I will take my chances. If it kills me, I will die happy.

The numbers are looking better this year...

Bay survey shows blue crabs rebounding -- baltimoresun.com

...but the problem is certainly not solved. They attribute the higher number this year to the restrictions they had last year.

I was thinking about the mustard thing, and I guess I dont actually pick it out of the shell and eat it. If I see it on the table I will rub some meat in it or if I will see it in the top part of the shell I will rub my finger in it and eat it. This year I will keep my eye open for it in the shell and give it a try before it gets smeared over everything.

My process is to pry the apron off, insert a knife, pry the top off, rip lungs out, then take my butter knife and scrap all the guts out.

Wow, that sounds pretty disgusting, but whatever!

Skins_Brew said:

Yeaaaaa NJ Tomato guy thats what I am talking about. Whats your take on the mustard? Its an awesome weekend, but I think its a tad too early for crabbing. Maybe in like 2 -3 weeks.

Click to expand...

They are getting them, but can't imagine they have too much meat in them yet.
Mustard is good.

I went every wed. last summer, only kept what I would use, never a full bushel.
I used to keep more and give some to the old guy across the street, before he passed away.

Day 1. Catch crabs, steam all. usually eat 6 or 8.
Day 2. Pick the rest.
Day 3. Hollow out 2 large tomatoes from the garden. Put a small chunk of butter in the bottom of the tomato. Mix crab meat and just enough Hellmans mayo, and fill up tomato. sprinkle lightly with Old Bay, drizzle with olive oil, bake at 350 for about 15/20 mins. Serve along side of 2 ears of corn from the garden.

Best dinner ever.

Love crabs, hate mustard.

Unfortunately, I only get crabs once or twice a year. Recent prices have been crazy and the quality/size has been shoddy. Too many that a few years ago would have been thrown back as too small. As much as it would hurt the watermen I would like to see a two-five year moritoreum like the DNR did with the Rockfish to give the population a chance to catch up to the demand.

Now as much as "Old Bay" is a part of crab culture in MD, I was taken to a resturant on a backwater in southern Calvert or St Mary's Counties many years ago and had some incredible crabs. Their recipe for the seasonings used zero "Old Bay". The seasoning was very light in color, mostly white/tan with some darker flecks. I imagine it had a large portion of sea salt, with white and black pepper, but there was much more complexity to it that has faded with time. I don't know the name of the resturant, I don't know where it is, but I want to find it again if it still exists. Anyone have any idea?

Skins_Brew said:

This year I will keep my eye open for it in the shell and give it a try before it gets smeared over everything.

Click to expand...

Definitely DO. I eat the mustard as soon as I pry open the shell - it's best when it's still nice and warm, and I generally only eat the ones that are a nice mustardy yellow and plump (leave the shriveled or green-looking ones alone, they don't usually taste that good).

Can't wait for my first crabs of the season, which probably won't be for another month at least. And you're totally on it Skins_Brew - eating crabs is a very social thing; grab a pitcher of beer and settle in for a few hours.

I love being able to smell crabs and Old Bay on my fingers for the couple of hours following eating them.

I love this thread. I have to agree, blue claws are my 100% favorite crab, and probibly my second favorite seafood, next to oysters.

I really cannot think of a better way to spend a hot day in NJ, Dewey, or on the Chesapeake than in a fold out chair, drinkin a beer and plunking a few drop lines. I have been crabbing since I was a tiny kid at my grandfathers place off the Barnaget Bay in jersey. Can't wait to teach my kid how its done! Perhaps this is the year.

I'd love to go crabbing. When my kid sister lived in yarmoth maine we went out on the lobster boats and I do believe that I'd have to do it if I lived out there.

I'll settle for Lake Trout on Lake Huron.

My stepdad took me crabbing when I was like 12, and a friend of his brought the line (we were trolling, using a line with bait tied on it in intervals). The bait was bull lips (WTF?) and it was so freaking stinky. Guess crabs like distinct smells/flavors too, cause we caught a ton that day.

^^ well they are bottom feeders lol. and havening tasted both blue and king crabs i gotta say MD blues are the best. and the best MD blues are from the chester river! i try and not to eat natural bay crabs too much due to they fact that they are all pretty much dead and i dont wanna be one of the ass hats that finishes em off. but some farm crabs arnt half bad either. and crab mustard FTW!!!!

nice avatar Jmull. Looks like you are certainly in the crab mood. I was reading up and apparently bull lips are cheap and and will last a while if crabs are munching on them. We use chicken necks. I was down in VA Beach last summer and didn't feel like finding chicken necks, so I just bought a cheap pack of drumsticks and thighs. The crabs were cleaning that bait to the bone in a matter of minutes. I have always heard when they pull a body out of the bay they are pretty tore up and covered with blue crabs.

Skins_Brew said:

nice avatar Jmull. Looks like you are certainly in the crab mood. I was reading up and apparently bull lips are cheap and and will last a while if crabs are munching on them. We use chicken necks. I was down in VA Beach last summer and didn't feel like finding chicken necks, so I just bought a cheap pack of drumsticks and thighs. The crabs were cleaning that bait to the bone in a matter of minutes. I have always heard when they pull a body out of the bay they are pretty tore up and covered with blue crabs.

Click to expand...

That statement might put a damper on a few appetites.

Haven't gone in a few years, too busy, barely find time to fish anymore. I don't eat them but I like to catch them for my GF to eat. I would eat them if starving and probably like them but just too messy and “gross” IMO. I don't like crowds so we usually look for places a bit difficult to get to but we are usually there alone however I have noticed paths being worn were we go so the peace and quit may be slowly disappearing.

jgln said:

That statement might put a damper on a few appetites.

Click to expand...

Not mine! The crab is just doing what comes natural to him, scavenging.