(Pro tip: slide the extracted meat across the top shell to pick up some delicious seasoning)Ħ- Crack the claws with a mallet and extract the meat.Ī special thanks to Cameron’s Seafood for this very important information! Take each half and break those in half too.ĥ- Pick the meat from each half. Discard the legs and put the claws aside for now.Ģ- Pull off the apron (the flap located on the abdomen).ģ- Turn the crab over and pull upward on the shell from the back of the crab peeling it forward.Ĥ- Grab each side firmly and bend in the middle, breaking in half. Light beer is the beverage of choice for crabs feasts because it complements the taste of the crab seasoning exceptionally well.ġ- Twist off the legs and claws off the body. Popular condiments include melted butter and extra crab seasoning.Ĭrab meat alone is not very filling so you may want to compliment your feast with corn, spiced shrimp and other appetizers. Set mallets, knives and rolls of paper towels within easy grabbing distance. Long, outdoor tables are ideal for crab feasting, but any table covered in newspaper or brown paper will do. A bushel of large crabs will feed 8-10 people.Ĭrab feasts are a messy business expect to get dirty and don’t wear any white or new clothing! If you are serving other food, we recommend about a 1/2 dozen crabs per person. The crabs are traditionally seasoned with either Old Bay or JO Spice.Ī good rule of thumb is about 6-10 Maryland Blue Crabs per person. Q: What’s so special about Maryland Crabs?Ī: To survive winter, Chesapeake Bay crabs have to build up extra fat stores which gives them that sweet, buttery flavor you won’t find in other types of crabs or in blue crabs shipped from other waters.Ī: While June through August are the most favored times for eating crabs, September-November is typically the best time to get the largest and fattest hard crabs at the best prices.Ī: Marylanders prepare hard shells and other seafood by steaming them, rather than boiling which is common along the rest of the East Coast. They are differentiated by the shape of their apron (the flap on their stomach) : the male’s is long and pointy and the female’s is dome shaped. Females have sweeter meat and may contain egg-roe. Q: What is the difference between male and female crabs?Ī: Male crabs are generally larger & meatier than females. Typically held in the summer, crab feasts are best enjoyed with a cold beer in hand.Ī: The Maryland crab season typically starts in mid April and runs all the way through December. Blue crabs take time to pick and eat so it becomes a very social activity. A: Crab feasts are a time honored tradition during which friends and family gather around a large picnic-style table to eat Maryland blue crabs.
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