Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs
In the summer you can get Chesapeake Bay crabs on the Chesapeake Bay and "down the beach" in Rehoboth Beach, Dewey and Lewes... the Delaware beaches. You can also get them in Fenwick Island, Ocean City, Maryland along the shore and in places like Crisfield, Maryland Home to the annual National Hard Crab Derby, held in August.
You can get fresh crabs year round in New Castle County, Delaware and Chadds Ford, PA just a short drive from the heart of the Brandywine Valley and its popular attractions. In the summer they are from the Chesapeake and in the winter they fly them in from Louisiana and elsewhere. You can eat them at a table covered in paper with a wooden mallot and claw cracker or take them home. That decision is up to you, but because so many people ask, listed below are a few places where you'll find fresh crabs daily:
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WHERE TO INDULGE IN CHESAPEAKE BAY CRABS |
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ESTABLISHMENT |
ADDRESS | PHONE |
Feby's Fishery
Restaurant & Seafood Market. Serving lunch and dinner. |
3701 Lancaster Pike
Wilmington, DE |
302.998.9501 |
Lestardo's Crab House
Fresh Seafood, Homemade dishes, and CRABS, CRABS, CRABS!!!! Blue Claw, King, Snow, and Dungeness Crabs!! |
135 Christiana Rd
New Castle, DE |
(302) 328-5070 |
Captain's Catch
Retail |
5828 Kirkwood Hwy
Wilmington, DE |
302 998.3457 |
Gordon's II Seafood
Retail |
3230 Philadelphia Pike
Wilmington, DE |
302 798.3040 |
Hadfield's Seafood
Retail |
Concord Pike & New Castle, DE
16 Wilmington Westchester Pike,
Chadds Ford, PA |
302 478.9460
610-459-3997 |
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Before you start, know that eating crabs is messy. You are going to need a lot of paper towels and beer, especially if you order the crabs "hot" with lots of spices. Knowing that, let's eat some crabs! |
| 1 | You're going to need a wooden mallet and a crab. The restaurant will supply them, but if you are taking crabs home, be sure to buy wooden mallots. There is no substitute. |
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2 | Start by pulling the legs and the claws off the crab. |
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3 | To get at the meat in the claw, hold it to the table surface with the fingers of one hand and strike it sharply with your mallet. Don't be shy. One good wallop and the shell will crack. You want one good fault line, not a shattered mess. Once cracked, pull out the meat. |
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4-5 | Now, turn the crab body on its back and lift up the "apron" which looks like a tab. Separate the bottom and top of the shell. |
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6 | CLEAN THE CRAB: There will be a mess of internal organs and such in the shell. Clean them out of there. Some people eat this stuff including the yellow "mustard". We do not recommend it. |
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7 | EATING: Snap the shell in two with your hands. Turn the crab over and remove the outer shell. Right under this shell is where the real meat is. |
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8 | This is the prize. Enjoy. |
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