Blue Crabs

Rick Goines CNHI

TARBORO — Blue Crabs don’t stay blue long in my presence. 

A handful of Old Bay seasoning, a little quality time in my pressure cooker, and they become a edible, beautiful hue of red. My Maryland roots contribute to my “chops” on the subject of crabs. 

Some youngsters in that Chesapeake Bay region learn to eat crabs before they can walk. When it comes to eating Blue Crabs in Eastern North Carolina, you have several options to explore. 

You can catch them yourself, buy live ones at a seafood market, purchase live or cooked crabs online, or visit a crab house restaurant.  We will take a look at the whole shebang in case you got a hankering for these tasty crustaceans.

Plentiful along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the Blue Crabs’ Latin name is Callinectes Sapidus which means “savory, beautiful swimmer.” 

Marylanders have a hard time understanding that Blue Crabs come from anyplace OTHER than the Chesapeake Bay.

You could get in a physical confrontation over this issue if brought up and debated in and around Baltimore, or Ball-a-mer as the locals pronounce it. No doubt the Chesapeake Bay yields a lot of crabs, but they are not the only ones.  Eastern North Carolina supplies a fair share of these critters, too. I laughed out loud when I saw a refrigerated truck loading up bushels of crabs in Morehead City with a painted logo on the side panel that read, “Crisfield, Maryland, The Crab Capital of the World.”

Catching your own crabs can be fun and easy.

It’s a nice, inexpensive family activity the kids can enjoy. A net, a roll of string or twine, and a hunk of bait is all you need. Crabs are not choosey eaters, but chicken parts seem to work best for hand liners. Saltwater is good, but brackish water is even better. Your local sports store/bait shop has everything you need, including good advice, and a short list of rules and regulations you need to know. 

You can buy crabs at a seafood market to bring home and cook yourself. 

My favorite place to buy live crabs in Eastern North Carolina is from Tony Tripp at Washington Crab and Oyster Co. in Washington.  Sometimes crabs are a little scarce, so it’s probably a good idea to call ahead at 946-5796 to check the status.  A pressure cooker, Old Bay seasoning, and some vinegar is all you need. Cooking directions are simple and appear on the back of your Old Bay can.

The computer age makes it easy and convenient to order crabs, live or steamed, to be delivered to your front door.  I can recommend with confidence The Crab Place.  They have a web site at www.CrabPlace.com, or you can call them at 1-877-EAT-CRAB. The web site will clue you in to an abundance of available delicious seafood.  When it comes to crabs, I am a little tough to please, but these folks have made me a believer. You know that old expression, “You get what you pay for?”  I have found that really rings true with crabs and other seafood.  I have ordered from The Crab Place online several times, and am duly impressed with their service and product quality.

The older I get, the less inclined I am to catch or buy crabs to cook myself.  It’s nice to enjoy crabs, then leave the mess behind sometimes.  I have very fond memories of family outings to Popes Creek, in Southern Maryland to eat crabs, catch a few fish, and watch my feisty little Grandmother pour a cup full of nickels in a slot machine. 

Boy, that dates me doesn’t it?  Southern Maryland hasn’t had those one-armed bandits for more than 40 years. 

My favorite restaurant to eat crabs in Eastern North Carolina is Backfins Crabhouse in Wake Forest.  The Jenkins brothers from Maryland are doing a very nice job supplying Maryland-style seasoned and spiced crabs for their customers. 

These boys have been around the crab business all their lives, and they are the real deal. Their motto is “We stick ‘em, you pick ‘em.”  

For more info or directions call them at 919-562-8500. If you have any room left after scarfing up a table full of crabs, sneak around the corner from Backfins to A’ La Mode Ice Cream Cafe for some home-made ice cream and Italian gelato.  Yummy for the tummy!  Diet tomorrow!

Hotspot of the Week –  I got some good “flounder” intel this week from several sources.  George Long reports that he caught 40+ flatties in the Swan Quarter area.   Some call George the “Flounder King,” and now you know why.  Gulp! Shrimp were putting them in the box.  Eight “keepers” found their way back to Edgecombe County.  If you see George smiling while standing next to his outdoor grill, now you will understand the reason for that toothy grin.

Rev. Gary Bateman also enjoyed some recent flounder success.  He reports having caught several dozen “Freddie the Flatfish.”  He was fishing North Creek between Belhaven and Bath.

Rick’s Soapbox – Take a kid fishing!  Yeah, I’m talking to YOU!

Catching fish?  Tell us about it.  Better yet, send us a picture with all the details.  We love to hear from you at CarolinaAngler@Gmail.com. See you on the water, my friend!

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