DBYT

Very OT but I am planning on taking the family down this weekend to a crab shack on the Eastern Shore. Can any of the Rennlisters in MD recommend a great crab shack, basically am after the best hole-in-the-wall that has great crabs.

Many Thanks
Darren

David in LA

Flying halfway around the world for great crabs?!?!?! I'm jealous!

dcdude

First question- can you pick a crab? Dinner is not the place to learn. If you can't, you might starve. I recommend crab cakes or soft shell (in season now!) Same flavor, a lot less work.

When you say "shore," do you mean beach, like O-so-chitty or Rehoboth? Or do you mean Baltimore or Annapolis. Phillips is a bit touristy, but a classic, with locations in all of the above. The "definitive" MD crab cakes:
http://www.phillipsseafood.com/index...age=menus&id=8

A down n' dirty classic where the Baltimore locals go. I drank away an evening there with beer and steamed-to-order, lightly seasonsed shrimp, but there are crabs, too:
http://www.southbaltimore.com/shop/crossmkt.html

Mark, can you elaborate?

nsully

You might try Cantlers. I have never been disappointed. Just outside Annapolis off of RT 50. Western Shore.

http://www.cantlers.com/

Brave Heart

I've been in Hong Kong -- I got crabs there

steve g

My fave

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp...file&id=883461

dcdude

Solid! Bethesda Crab House even pre-dates "dcdude." Ugh, now you've got me feeling briefly homesick. If they still have $33 all you can eat, that seems like a deal.

Here's 1981's "Crabs for Christmas", extra, extra nostaliga credit for hard-core Bawlmerans and wannabes from DC alike:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzpEvmtCcDI

PS- Another great lookin' crab resource: http://www.bluecrab.info/crabhouses.htm

jimq

Nothing better then a mess of bay crabs fresh out of the steamer

DBYT

Thanks all for the recommendations. I have heard of Cantlers and all reports have been very good.

I was thinking of somewhere closer to Annapolis and Baltimore, so Cantlers might be it.

David, yes, a bit sad that I have to fly across the world to have a meal of crabs...the joys of trying to live between two countries. Some day, I hope to have a holiday house no more than 2 hrs drive from my main home, rather than a 20hr flight...in the mean time, am still trying to rectify the lack of a 993 at the US house.

cspaldi

If you are actually going over to the eastern shore of Maryland, I like the Masthead at Pier Street Marina in Oxford, Maryland (little hard to find, but the town is very small and anyone will give you directions). Nothing better than fresh crabs at their deck over the water watching the sunset. We have a family place up the road in St. Michaels and lots of people also go to the Crab Shack, but it has more of a tourist feel.

ferdie993

If your around asia, Darren you should try the crabs in the philippines. Ive tried in the states and taste good. but i think the crab is better in the philipppines.

jimq

thats where a lot of the canned crab meat sold in Va and Maryland is now from since its cheaper to import then catch and pick local.

DBYT

Ferdie,
I will actually be spending a bit of time in manila soon (we are about to invest in a Phils co) and given that it is a very small place, it is likely that we will know the same people.
Darren

SC993

Not a crab dive, though if you get a craving after this weekend, you can always have a "crab bomb" delivered to your door. A bit pricey...but most tasty -> http://www.jerrys-seafood.com/ out of Dewey, DE

Enjoy...

dcdude

Is it just that? I thought the local crab and oyster population in the Bay continues to be seriously threatend due to over-fishing? But yes, I expect that the "blue swimming crab" species is the same worldwide. Seen some very familiar looking critters at Market World, my local SoCal Korean supermarket...