An Ode to Crabs

 Grab a bowl, a crab knocker, and a knife

Crabs—who doesn’t love them? I’m talking about the incredibly edible crustacean, the Atlantic blue crab, of course. A stable fare around the Chesapeake Bay and beyond for centuries, I wonder who the first brave soul was who threw a few on the fire and decided to chow down. Bet they wished they had some Old Bay seasoning…

If you live anywhere near the Chesapeake watershed, you’ve been exposed to crab mania. Crabs are a focal point of many activities in this area.

If you like participating in individual sports, you might try pursuing these delectables. Whether “chicken necking” (tying a string to a chicken neck and tossing it off the end of a pier to wait for a nibble) or trot lining (same principle, but with a long line and multiple chunks of dangling chicken or eel that you follow along in a skiff to check). As for team sports, we even have a baseball team named the Blue Crabs!

For the culinary aspects, there are crab balls, crab cakes, crab imperial, crab meat omelets, crab dip…  There are hard crabs and soft crabs. A crab is “soft” when it grows and molts, but it doesn’t stay soft long and is a special delicacy. Speaking of fried soft crabs, I’m aware that some restaurants remove the legs before frying. Although the uninitiated might be traumatized by seeing crab legs dangling from their burger buns, omitting this crunchy delicacy is an atrocity.

Crabs are a great source of art in the region, inspiring paintings, pennants, summer flags, etc. I’ve personally been moved to do several wood carvings featuring our denizen of the deep.

The blue crab even touches on politics. The female crab wears an apron that’s shaped like the U.S. Capitol while the male’s is an image of the Washington Monument.

Even the literary world is moved by the blue crab. I’ll share a snippet from the beginning of the third book in the Legends of the Family Dyer trilogy, “Sons and Brothers.”

“The trotline cord glided through the johnboat’s roller system. The stains of dredged mud and deep-water slime gave testament to many trips here. The trolling motor was locked at an angle to maintain the boat’s course, compensating for the incoming tide’s pull.

He felt the jerk on the line, gentle at first as the creature took hold, then a stout pull as it latched on to his offering. He peered through the murky depths and saw the creature’s mouth open and close, savoring its victim’s flesh.

As if sensing danger, the sea dweller flailed one claw from side to side in warning, prepared to defend its right to the captured prey. Its smaller claw and saber-tipped legs skewered the exposed meat and fat, unwilling to share. As it was pulled toward the surface, greed trumped caution, and the predator became the prey. Brodie readied his net as the ghostly crab floated closer to the surface until…

With a flip of his wrist, he moved his net under and up. The large blue crab broke the surface in a clacking frenzy of legs and claws. He noticed the long thin apron and smiled.”

I’m proud to say that the crab world recognizes no racism and truly does not see color because they’re all orange after a few minutes in the steamer! Sexism is a different story. If you start keeping too many female crabs, folks are going to talk about you (and it’s illegal for recreational crabbers). If you keep a sponge crab (a female with eggs attached), well you should maybe think about moving to another state.

Few things in life are as much fun (crabbing) and promise as great a reward (crab eating!).

Crabs are the basis for many special social events along the Chesapeake watershed and the camaraderie around a crab picking table is unmatched. Be aware, though, you may get your hand slapped if you reach in for a particularly “fat” crab that’s in closer proximity to your neighbor’s bowl than your own! To be invited to a crab feast by a local means you are accepted. So, welcome, friends! Grab a bowl, a crab knocker and a knife. It’s time to feast!

For Steamed Crabs You Need

1 large steamer pot

Crabs!

1½ cups water

1½ cups of vinegar

¼ cup salt

3 TBS of Old Bay seasoning

Directions

Bring the liquids and salt to a boil and add in 2 tbsp of the Old Bay seasoning.

Place the steamer section into the pot, making sure the steamer bottom is not touching the liquid.

Transfer your live crabs into the steamer pot one by one. Put a layer of crabs down and sprinkle them with Old Bay seasoning. If you have more crabs you can do up to two more layers right on top of the first layer, sprinkling each layer with Old Bay. If more, do a second batch.

Blue crabs take about 20-30 minutes to cook. The crabs should be bright red with no trace of blue or green on them. Let the crabs cool before cleaning them. 

David W. Thompson

https://www.david-w-thompson.com

David is a multiple award-winning author, Army veteran, and graduate of UMUC. He’s a multi-genre writer and a member of the Horror Writers’ Association, and the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. When not writing, Dave enjoys family, kayaking, fishing, hiking, hunting, winemaking, and woodcarving.