A Crabby Tale..

Alert readers will remember that earlier this summer a friend and I rekindled an experience (verging now on tradition) of picking crabs at a local crab shack (The Sea Breeze). During the summer visit, our server (Rose) said to return in September and October when they would be really “heavy”. We decided to do that.. So, with MFO in Wisconsin (not a fan of picking anyway) we decided we would follow Roses advice and drove over on Monday night.

There are certain requisites to be an authentic (Southern Maryland) traditional “crab shack”. First you must be “on” the water, with either a clapboard (the original Evans for instance) or plain cinder block building (Courtney’s) with plenty of neon beer signs and banners, preferably NOT for froo froo beers. Sea Breeze certainly qualifies there (with plus points for the scraggly palm trees).

The interior must have plain tables covered with brown paper

And the little caddy for napkins and malt vinegar, napkins and stuff.

There HAS to be the white placemat with local advertising on it when seated by the young lady (in a "house" tee shirt).  You bet:

The first order of business is to provide liquid refreshment and tools for the food. Beer MUST come in a pitcher (or long neck) and HAS to be a brand from the neon signs in the window. So a (plastic) pitcher of Miller Light was delivered along with frozen mugs, a knife, and a "whacker" (technical culinary term)

Our order consisted of a basket of Hush Puppies (there’s a story here, for later consumption) and a dozen crabs. The puppies arrived, in a configuration of tubes (I need to research this) and were a nice prelude to the main course of Callinectes Sapidus, more popularly known as hard crabs.

The crabs were some of the largest I have had the pleasure of being served

wow..

Of course the meat does not come to you, you have to go to it. It is not easy. Over the years I have finally evolved a technique that occasionally produces that elusive “crab lollypop” of a perfectly positioned lump of delicious crab meat. It’s the holy grail of crab picking.

And through the process a large amount of detritus is created, it’s not for the faint of heart.

The process is more rewarding when the crabs are big because the little pockets and crannies which conceal the meat are larger. These were some of the best crabs in my memory. The meat was sweet and very “crabby” tasting. We did our duty.

Extra Factoid.

A few years ago, an alert birder discovered that a Kelp Gull had adopted Sea Breeze as its winter home. Its normal range is far southern South America, so this one got some wires crossed. Once the bird received blessing as indeed being a Kelp Gull, people from all over (like national) came to get the bird on their “life list”. It developed an affinity for shrimp picked from the bins at Sea Breeze, and earned the nickname Shrimpy. It has not returned for the last few years, so most likely succumbed or unscrambled its navigational system. The local ornithology folks honored Shrimpy (and the Sea Breeze) with a plaque that is on display in the restaurant.

What a great experience. Nice firendly atmosphere, nice people, and great LOCAL food served appropriately in a “just right” setting. Run from the chains and find these places..

And for picking crabs, we don’t care how you are

DFD

Besides, you can’t pick crabs without wearing various bits of them, and your fingernails will smell like Old bay for days..