Posted on 04/21/2016 5:43:42 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
We in Maryland heard some good news during the past week: due to conservation efforts and weather conditions, the Blue Crab population is going to be about 35% higher this year. This is good news for crab lovers, but especially good news for the watermen along the Chesapeake, who make their livings from the 'Beautiful Swimmers'.
The first time I encountered a crab, I was a teen, lying in bed asleep, when my brother came into the room, dangled a live crab in front of my face, and yelled, "Wake Up"!
He had come home from a friend's house with a bucket full of fresh crabs and got us all up, late at night, to cook and eat them. My Tidewater-born Granny steamed them, and our Dad showed us how to crack, pick and eat them. They were very nice, but I'm not sure I was really 'sold' (perhaps I was still groggy from sleep, and from the visual shock of arthropod anatomy wiggling in front of my startled-awake eyes!)
I WAS sold, however, on my first real Maryland crab cake, which came from the Phillips restaurant in Baltimore. Long before, I had read in some popular writing that 'ambrosia' (the 'Food of the Gods' in Greek mythology) MUST have been 'oysters and champagne'; but my first taste of a good Maryland crab cake decided for ME the meaning of 'ambrosia', and I have been an addict ever since. (I will even buy the frozen Phillips ones in the supermarket, in a pinch - which frankly don't measure up at all to the ones in the restaurant.)
Here is the recipe for the very Maryland Crab Cake that has been offered in the Phillips restaurants since 1956:
http://www.phillipsfoods.com/recipe/shirley-phillips-crab-cakes/
And here's a recipe for Crab Rangoon, or Crab Wonton - which, in the average Chinese restaurant, is made with surimi - or "krab with a 'K'" - but can be easily made at home with the Real Thing, even though this recipe calls for 'canned':
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/200657/crab-rangoon/
(My favorite books about the Chesapeake are James Michener's 'Chesapeake', and William Warner's 'Beautiful Swimmers', q.v.)
-JT
I spent five years in Tidewater Virginia.
I noticed something which appeared to be a local custom. The local high school kids would tailgate in a movie theater parking lot before going in to the movie.
They would cook crabs right on the tailgate of a pickup.
Blue crab is wonderful, but there is nothing better than Florida Stone Crab Claws dipped in nothing but melted butter.
Have never been to Florida, and don’t know about your crustaceans; maybe Someday. Would love to spend time in the Keys.
-JT
Thanks very much! I was always interested in them, and couldn’t believe that this mushy canned stuff that my friend brought back was the ‘real thing’.
-JT
Got any in nearby waters?
Good eating.
I have a quick, easy and scrumptious recipe for crab dip. You take an 8 oz. block of cream cheese and add one stick of butter in a casserole dish and melt them in the microwave or on stovetop. Stir to combine well. Gently stir in 1 pound of lump crab, the juice of one lemon and some freshly cracked black pepper. Serve warm with pita toasts or crackers. Yummy!
There’s a fella, in his 90’s who is Baltimore born and bred. Never left the city until he retired.
He pronounces it “Balmer”, he claims it’s the only way the old timers say it.
He claimed that back in the day he lived near Fatso Donovan’s package store.
The Fatso Donovan who played defensive line for the Colts.
Funny guy, has a couple million stories and loves telling them.
Mama used to make crab cakes when we were kids.
Living on an inland farm, three hours drive from the coast back then, crab cakes and oysters were definitely different!
Loved’em then, don’t really care for them now.
Flounder is my favorite thing from the sea these days.
Grew up eating blue crab from Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans. Those were the meatiest and sweetest ones I’ve ever had.
We tried Tanner crab last week for the first time. It is like Alaskan snow crab but we decided we liked snow crab better for its texture and sweetness. Hubby likes his with melted butter but I’ve started liking the mustard sauce usually served with stone crab - my REAL favorite kind of crab.
I actually love boiled peanuts! Especially the big ones called “goobers”. All it takes to make them is you get fresh, in the shell peanuts (many grocery stores have them), cover them with fresh water in a pot and add a lot of salt - I’d say a quarter cup for every pound of peanuts. It sounds like a lot but the salt has to penetrate the shell and flavor the nut meat. Bring to a boil, then simmer a few hours over low heat. Test one for tenderness and saltiness. I don’t cook mine to the mushy stage as they should be just tender all the way through (the peanut, not the shell - they’ll never get tender). Don’t eat the shell! You can also add some red pepper flakes to the water if you like a little spiciness. Great with a cold beer!
Amen on the stone crabs! I actually like them cold with the mustard sauce better than butter. I just wish they weren’t so expensive.
Don't forget the ...
Florida lobster is by far the best lobster. Way better than the Maine lobster. If you can get it fresh, there’s nothing like it!
LOL! Never needed it! It’s been a while though.
We used to go to a restaurant in Mt Pleasant SC called The Trawler. Mt Pleasant is across the Cooper River from Charleston. My family loved their delicious crab dip!! We always serve it on Christmas Eve and have had it at christenings. Excited at seeing it at one christening, my grown children closed their eyes and sighed at first bite. One of them said “Oh a taste of childhood!” and the priest, who had just sampled it, commented he wished he’d had their childhood. :) Here’s the recipe.
https://thesouthinmymouth.wordpress.com/2009/09/22/charleston-crab-dip/
No Atlantic waters.
No Haddock in the gulf of mexico.
No Atlantic waters.
No Haddock in the gulf of mexico.
Fake crab makes ok crab cakes.
http://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/kosher-crab-cakes/
I will stick to the real thing, but I was feeling sorry for your missing out. ;-)
As a bonus, this makes killer kosher BLT sammies.
https://www.google.com/?client=ubuntu#channel=fs&q=duck+bacon
How wonderful for you! The best I can do in summer is eating young lobsters at a shack in Tenants Harbor, Maine.
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