Growing up in Maryland's Bay area... One of Maryland's greatest treats was enjoying old bay steamed blue crabs. As a teen the cost was $10/ dozen for smalls, $12 for mediums, $14 for large, $16 for extra large, and $18 for jumbos. We got to enjoy them quite frequently... sometimes, it seemed almost like every week. I even remember all you can eat crab feasts for under $10. Found and ad from a local restaurant around 1960 for AYCE crabs for $2.25. Wow!
Well... times change and so did the prices, which have naturally gone up over the years. But I can't help feeling like my grandfather back in the 1950s, when he would say something like... "You've got to be shitting me... 29 cents for a loaf of bread." Now... I look at the prices of crabs and think the same thing... "wow, you've got to be shitting me"! You can still get some more reasonable prices but supply and demand raise the prices through the roof.
Back in 2008, I remember going crabbing with family on the Chesapeake Bay ... we caught almost three bushels that morning along with some soft crabs. That's a day I'll never forget... crabbing with my good buddy Doug. We went out with 20 or so collapsible crab pots... bait them, drop them to the bottom, then run the pots, from end to end, bringing up one or two crabs each time. Ran that line of pots for 2-3 hours... scarfing up those live blue crabs. Then taking them home to steam and enjoy a feast. A feast in Maryland... well it could take anywhere from 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours at a sitting. Sounds like a lot... but that's how we grew up... that was the norm.
Today... steamed crabs are an infrequent treat. But It's one of the few things that has remained just as good as they were from childhood. Always so good.
Well... times change and so did the prices, which have naturally gone up over the years. But I can't help feeling like my grandfather back in the 1950s, when he would say something like... "You've got to be shitting me... 29 cents for a loaf of bread." Now... I look at the prices of crabs and think the same thing... "wow, you've got to be shitting me"! You can still get some more reasonable prices but supply and demand raise the prices through the roof.
Back in 2008, I remember going crabbing with family on the Chesapeake Bay ... we caught almost three bushels that morning along with some soft crabs. That's a day I'll never forget... crabbing with my good buddy Doug. We went out with 20 or so collapsible crab pots... bait them, drop them to the bottom, then run the pots, from end to end, bringing up one or two crabs each time. Ran that line of pots for 2-3 hours... scarfing up those live blue crabs. Then taking them home to steam and enjoy a feast. A feast in Maryland... well it could take anywhere from 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours at a sitting. Sounds like a lot... but that's how we grew up... that was the norm.
Today... steamed crabs are an infrequent treat. But It's one of the few things that has remained just as good as they were from childhood. Always so good.
Crab cakes... crab balls...
Red crab soup...
Cream of crab soup...
And crab dip.
All, a little bit of heaven.
But that's another story.
