Maryland Blue Crabs 101
Maryland Blue Crabs 101
The Crabby Facts
A Maryland Blue Crab or “Beautiful Savory Swimmer” receives quite a following from diehard seafood connoisseurs. This brief course will give you an overview to the “crabby basics.” Enthusiasts rave over the olive, bluish-green crustacean with delicately white salty-sweet meat. Blue Crab Trading, a seafood online market presents customers with fat, humungous Blue Crabs measuring upwards to 9 inches and beyond! Water-men sun-scorched and muscles aching from pulling crab pots from flowing Bay estuaries celebrate days when the pots weigh heavy with lively crabs. This delicacy feasts on small fish, clams, snails, eelgrass, and sea lettuce which nourish the Blue Crabs for quite a sweet taste. Of course, ‘sweet’ here means a briny, ocean flavor with delicately white meat that hints a sweet distinct flavor worth trying. A catch includes both male and female crabs. Both receive exact, traditional grading from smalls (5”-5.5”), mediums (5.5”-6.0”), large (6”-6.5”), extra-large (6.5”-7”), and supers (7” plus). Blue Crab Trading gathers all sizes and both male and female into dozen, ½ bushel or bushel quantities. To keep ultimate taste and freshness, crabs swiftly move from catch to cuisine.
If you think the crabs seem dangerous, you’re right! In fact, before the 1880’s water-men steered clear of the crustacean and its snapping claws. Therefore, catching and steaming Maryland Blue Crabs began as late as the mid-1880’s when the “dangerous” connotation morphed into a “savory” and tasty mindset. Since then, crabbers follow a sustainability plan to ensure repopulation and healthy proportions exist between species within the Bay’s ecosystem. This process shows appreciation and respect to Nature and the crab species. Giving the crab a natural, healthy environment allows it to molt, shed and then re-grow shells, enabling it to reach full adult size. A mature crab exhibits lump and jumbo succulent meat.
How does one achieve his own crab catch? Blue Crab Trading exclusively takes online orders for whichever quantity or gender you choose. Our crew carefully adheres to Captain James’s sure-winning recipe. Using a traditional grading scale to size, following exact steaming times, and seasoning the crabs to order fills the crab-houses with the watermen’s spirit! Accolades, reviews and cheers acclaim that Blue Crab Trading demands excellence. Many satisfied stomachs assert, “Blue Crab Trading has the best crabs!”
Battle of the Crab Sexes
Which Blue Crab tastes better: female or male? Many believe that the female crab’s meat boasts denser, sweeter flavor, but agree that the amount of meat differs. Point-to-point comparison weighs the male crab at heavier, but flakier meat. In fact, NOAA reports the heaviest male crab this last season tipped the scale at 1.1 pounds and a 10.72” point-to-point length! Distinct visual appearances cause quite a stir. Water-men and the enthusiast quickly know the difference in sexes. Females flash red-tipped claws and a broad abdominal apron likened to the Capitol dome to sack eggs (roe). Males sport bright blue claws and a narrow abdominal apron compared to the Washington Monument. Uniqueness doesn’t stop there. Females enjoy the mouth of the Bay near the ocean for higher salinity water. This preference causes them to journey to estuaries in Virginia closer to the Atlantic and give them a likely waterway for a female catch. Returning to the taste, however, both female and male offer delicate, white meat. Preference arises in the consistently flaky male crab meat compared to the female’s dense quality. Now it’s time to decide. Should you feast on an ultimate female catch or male catch? Possibly try both!
Super Dooper Crabs!
Once a crab-eater falls in love with steamed, spicy Blue Crab, he normally becomes addicted to larger and meatier crustaceans. One mustn’t fret over such a change; it’s normal. Searching for the ultimate crab-eating experience that requires less cracking and nibbling motivates the purchase of ‘Super’ crabs. Once gorging on jumbo pieces of sweet, delicate white super crabmeat, these crab-eaters experience extreme joy. Behemoth Blue Crabs satisfy this urge. These crabs measure 7 plus inches point-to-point. Customers frequently attest, “The supers impress my guests and one crab satisfies, but why stop at one super!”
Crab Transport
Special Note for Crab Enthusiasts: When selecting a shipping method, two distinct packing materials keep the crabs ready for consumption: gel packs and dry ice. Overnight transit utilizes gel, while longer travel requires ice packs. If the ice packs freeze the crabs, simply allow the crabs to slowly thaw in the refrigerator to maintain ideal texture and taste. Also, please keep in mind the following chart for serving amounts. Get the hammers swinging, legs crack'n and meat dipp'n!
1 Dozen Feeds Approximately 1-2 People.
1/2 Bushels Feed Approximately 5 people.
Bushels Feed Approximately 10 people.
Just a Little Review
Blue Crab Trading exclusively takes online orders for all quantities and genders. The crew carefully adheres to Captain James’s sure-winning recipe. Using a traditional grading scale to size, following exact steaming times, and seasoning the crabs to order fills the crab-houses with the watermen’s spirit! Blue Crabs boast jumbo, lump and claw salty-sweet meat, perfect for hot clarified butter dipping. Many seafood enthusiasts repeat order crabs, declaring “Blue Crab Trading has the best!”
