any of yall like Blue crabs???

faster100

Well yet another venture in the Florida sunshine... i used to crab when i was young, well help crab i should say... and while me and the kids were at the local playground which just happens to be right on the water, i noticed tons of Blue crabs on the sea wall, just below on some cement pier things ( where a dock might have been at one time.. So the next day we made a crab trap that didnt warrant anything.. so i came back again with chicken and a string and pulled a few out, I have never eaten crabs so the kids played with them(looked at them lol) and that was the end of it.. we went last night again for fun, this time i had a dip net and string with chicken, A guy was in my spot.. so i started talking to him, he gave me some "real" twine and hooks and said try this, just throw it out in the water and watch for it to move, sure enough it did, well an hour later i had about 7, 5-6" blub crabs... I wouldnt have eaten them and he was nice enough to school me and let me crab next to him, so i said ok well im outta here... you can have my crabs and chicken, i do it for sport not eating... He said thanks alot... gave me a spindle of twine for "next time" and said take it easy... So give and you shall receive... Only now i know the trick and a few good friends of mine eat seafood and crabs... So what a hit i'll be at the next BBQ ( we just had one last weekend with Ribs) when i bust out the blue crabs by the bushell!! Maybe i'll try one.. let me know any tricks or tips for eating, cleaning crabs...

Later

F1nut

Maryland steamed crabs are one of the finest delicacies known to man. They are blue crabs much like the ones down your way except the crabs here have a special flavor from the bay water. Crabs must be steamed alive, not boiled, in Old Bay Seasoning. No other seasoning will do. You need a very large pot meant for steaming with a wire support in the bottom to keep the crabs out of the water. Throw in a layer of crabs then cover generously with Old Bay, another layer of crabs and another layer of Old Bay. Keep going like that until the pot is full, put the lid on, turn up the heat to boil the water and steam the crabs until they turn orange-red. Serve hot.

To eat, snap off the legs at the body, pry open the apron with a knife on the bottom **** end (start at the pointy end) and pry off the shell from the same **** end. Once open you will see a inner shell and covering that on both sides are the gills, DO NOT eat the gills, just scrape them away. In the middle will be what is called the mustard, kinda yellow colored. Some folks like it, some don't. I don't, so I scrape that away too. Next crack the inner shell in half and start digging out the white meat with your fingers. You have to do a little work to get the meat out, but it's well worth the effort. You can also eat the claw meat out of the front claws. Crack them open and dig in.

Enjoy!

Jstas

Originally posted by F1nut
Maryland steamed crabs are one of the finest delicacies known to man. They are blue crabs much like the ones down your way except the crabs here have a special flavor from the bay water. Crabs must be steamed alive, not boiled, in Old Bay Seasoning. No other seasoning will do. You need a very large pot meant for steaming with a wire support in the bottom to keep the crabs out of the water. Throw in a layer of crabs then cover generously with Old Bay, another layer of crabs and another layer of Old Bay. Keep going like that until the pot is full, put the lid on, turn up the heat to boil the water and steam the crabs until they turn orange-red. Serve hot.

To eat, snap off the legs at the body, pry open the apron with a knife on the bottom **** end (start at the pointy end) and pry off the shell from the same **** end. Once open you will see a inner shell and covering that on both sides are the gills, DO NOT eat the gills, just scrape them away. In the middle will be what is called the mustard, kinda yellow colored. Some folks like it, some don't. I don't, so I scrape that away too. Next crack the inner shell in half and start digging out the white meat with your fingers. You have to do a little work to get the meat out, but it's well worth the effort. You can also eat the claw meat out of the front claws. Crack them open and dig in.

Enjoy!

Dang beat me to it!


Anyway, what he said!

dorokusai

Maryland crabs should be traded like currency. Excellent summer dinner selection...or lunch...or breakfast

I love crabs when I don't find them in my pants.

faster100

Cool deal, It's alot of fun to get them,.,, and free..

maybe i could overnight some on ice:D for ya's.... Nah maybe a bit much on the shipping, LOL

anyways.. everyone have a Great Easter weekend... and thanks for the replies.....

F1nut

Thanks for the offer, but we get plenty here. If you can't find Old Bay down your way, let us know and we'll ship some down.

pjdami

We eat blue crabs all the time down here. I have them at least once every couple of weeks during the winter months when they are most plentiful. But you can get them just about all the time down here in southern Louisiana.

We always boil them using Zatarain's crab boil, a Morton's box full of salt, and red cayenne pepper. We we boil we use a huge stainless pot outside with a butane burner on a stand. Lake Salvador crabs come from a brackish lake and are very "fat" full of white crab meat. I need to weigh one of these things next time because they are monsters. Very fine delicate and delicious white meat. the claw meat is delicious as well.

We also have "soft shelled crabs" down here. It's a very profitable business actually as they sell for like $5 / each depending on the quality. Blue Crab farmers set up indoor crab tanks and wait for the crabs to molt off their shells. When they do they take them out and ice them down. the crabs will have soft shells. You can then open them up and remove the gills and inards, wash them off and deep fry them by putting them in some yellow mustard with some hot sauce, dip them in some Zatarain's fish fry and fry 'em up. Delicious on a poboy with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and ketchup.

I'm actually going to a crawfish boil tonight. I think they are going to boil like 160 lbs of crawfish. That's four sacks plus potatoes, corn, mushrooms. Usually we put in cut up sausage too but not because of Lent and Good Friday today. The women, we always account that they will eat about 5 lbs each. the men can put down 8 - 10 lbs each. this is the weight wilth the shell and everything (how they are sold).

Louisiana blue crabs, crawfish, and shrimp ... its just a long tradition down here. Oh yeah, the oysters too.. salty..

By the way, we probably have one of the highest rate of heart disease in the nation down here. But I guess we never die hungry!

Here's a link to Zatarain's. Not sure if this is found around the US.

Happy Holidays everybody.

http://www.zatarain.com/index.php

danger boy

you guys are making me very hungry.. and i'm trying to diet and watch my figure. ha ha ha

i love everything you guys are talking about. i think we have blue crabs up here too. but i think they call em soft shell crabs. not sure. Love Crawfish, lobster, shrimp, and crab, CRAB. Dungeness crab.. mmmm! King crab are good too.

AsSiMiLaTeD

Well let me be the first to say YUCK...no crabs for me...

flason

Growing-up in St. Pete (Shore Acres\Snell Isle) and living on the water, I use to crab nightly for my folks. I would catch 5-10 blue crabs, 12-14" point to point. and we would have a crab boil. There was a softshell season and they particularly loved that. That was the early seventies when Tampa Bay was clean. The 80's brought a lot of pollution to the bay and the crabs died off. The 90's brought regulation and Tampa Bay is nice once again with a very health supply of fish (reds, snook, etc) and other creatures as well as healthy sea grasses and mangroves.

faster100

Hey Flason, ive been crabbing down at snell isle... well only twice so far, plan to go back...

Tour2ma

Never got into Softshell, but a big yes to Blue Crab...

Used to be an all-you-can-eat place in Port Arthur, TX named Sartens. Great fish, froglegs and other, but what they were known for was their BBQ Blue Crab... Absolutely delicious and very messy.

Damn, now I'm getting hungry...

HBombToo

maaaan... and I'm eating cheese sandwiches and ramien noodles.

Oh well.

and I'll echo what mark said and I'm still laughing:D

HBomb

TonyPTX

Originally posted by F1nut
In the middle will be what is called the mustard, kinda yellow colored. Some folks like it, some don't.

Down here we call it "FAT" and sometimes if you're eating crawfish (or crayfish) as you yankies like to call 'em we call it S*#T.

Tony

F1nut

Damn Tony, I was trying to be nice and not gross him out.

Kiminism

you guys talk alot about crabs...coincidence? i think not...

Jstas

Silly girl. There is so much more to life than face value. The joy of a conversation like this is not talking about crabs but having the chance to share some experience and knowledge with other people who are interested in the same thing. I realize you were most likely joking but no need to take this thread to the gutter. That's not your job. RuSsMaN has that task and he should be chiming in any time soon now.


Especially after this post!

Kiminism

im sorry jstas

Jstas

Just don't let it happen again!












You realize that this is all in jest and not meant to be taken seriously!? Just razzing the FNG!

brettw22

Originally posted by Kiminism
im sorry jstas

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph.......Kiminism.....Jstas is one that we don't have to apologize to.....EVER.....it's a rule.