Food I Ate Friday - How to Pick a Crab

One of favorite things to do in Maryland is a crab feast. If you are not from Maryland, you don't know what's up with crab feasts. You may think you do, but honestly it's a Maryland thing. I will talk you through it in pictures here, but you really need the ice cold beer, old bay all over your hands, and piles of crabs on the table in front of you. I pray you each can experience this at some point in your life :)

This piece of the crab is called the "key" by most. Sometimes you need a knife to get under it, but you want to get under it and pull it towards you.

As you pull it towards you you will start to feel a little resistance.

Break through that resistance and use the momentum to break into the other half of the crab as you pull all the shell off the top.

It will look like this when the shell is off.

This is the part no one likes (as you can tell by Bill's facial expression), but you must clean out the crab. Pull out the guts, the gils, and all the tentacles.

Next you will want to pull off one leg at a time. Pull them carefully out at the base and try to pull a nice chunk of meat out. If you miss it, no big deal, you will get it when you get into the bod meat. Alot of people skip the little legs, but they have sweeter meat in the skinny legs.

The bigger claws need to be broken into and the meat pulled out. Once those are off you just have the body left! Break it in half and get in each little compartment. Again, people have different methods for this part. I like to eat a little as I go, but bank most of it and have nice little piles of crabmeat. Some eat all as they go... it depends on what you like!

Here is my pile of fresh picked crabmeat, my mallet for breaking into the claws, and the vinegar and old bay dipping sauce. It is something you really need to experience. I cannot possibly explain the deliciousness in words.

And now, for other Crab Feast Pictures :)

Faith taking care of business...

My Pop-Pop picking crabs for my Grammy :)

Daddy with beers and crabs and a serious look...

You can see the boat and the pier in the background of this one! Ryan and Bill loving the much anticipated crab feast!

Joytown and Billtown bonding town...

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