April 16th, 2010
How could you not start thinking about crabs? Not just crabmeat, but sitting down and picking crabs. Getting messy and full of Old Bay Seasoning.
I wrote yesterday about how gorgeous it was here at the Delaware Beaches. I wanted crabs for dinner.
Lazy Susans just opened up last week for the season. They have been in business since 1984. It is a true crab house. Their location is 18289 Coastal Highway (Rt.1), Lewes, Delaware. Tel. 302-645-5115.
Just in case you do not eat crabs, Lazy Susans also have other food items on their menu like steamed shrimp, BBQ clams, oysters in season, fried fish, chicken, oyster, shrimp and seafood baskets, flounder, sandwiches, soups and salads. Great corn in season, as well as specials every week. The restaurant is very affordable, has a full bar, and a kids menu is available.
Me, I only eat the crabs and maybe some corn.
Last night as I was coming inside the restaurant I looked around to find out that it is still early in the season, so tables were pretty open. I chose a picnic table, covered in the brown paper, always present in a crab house. Perfect for cleaning the mess afterwards.
Lazy Susans has another dining area in the back of the restaurant that is very open and a bar is located there, as well.
We started with crabby deviled eggs and they were very good. It was a good balance between the crab and the egg. Sometimes the filling can get too heavy either way, but last night they were perfect.
To me, there is nothing better than a blue crab; I mean a true blue crab. I have eaten crabs from other parts but there is that sweetness of the Delmarva crab that is so delicate and tasty. I then dip the crabmeat in vinegar and the combination is great.
When my sons were young, I made sure that they learned to eat crabs at a very early age. My oldest was an expert by the age of 3. I remember him sitting in his high chair at the Crab Claw in St. Michaels, in Maryland, and people would stop to watch him pick crabs. I actually showed him so that I would not have to be picking them for him. A little selfish on my part but, both of them have been big fans of crab picking ever since.
The crabs at Lazy Susans were mediums. As the season progresses, the crabs also get bigger and depending how the season goes, they get more expensive, as well. These mediums were heavy, which is the way you want them; very sweet also. The mustard is found as you open the crab. I always thought it was the fat. But, I found out that it is not. It is actually the crab’s hepatopancreas. What is it? It is a main component of the crab’s digestive system. The hepatopancreas is a gland located on both sides of the mid gut in the main body cavity. It functions as both liver and pancreas.
The “mustard” has a strong and delicious taste and it is considered by us crab “connoiseurs” as a true delicacy.
I have been wondering, why does a crab’s shell turn red-orange when cooked? Afterall, it is blue-green as in “blue crab”.
Apparently, the red pigment is the most stable component of the coloring in a crab shell. The other colors on the crab are destroyed by the cooking process.
The red pigment is astaxathin, a carotenoid, like beta-carotene. It is heat stable while the other protein that makes up the blue-green pigment is not. The red-orange is released when cooking.
Yes, picking crabs could get the conversation flowing.
Sitting with friends for a crabfeast is the best. We get messy and nobody cares. During the summer, it is a past time of all of us here at the beaches; crabs, corn, fresh tomatoes, and beer. Priceless!!
Have a geat week-end!!!…Talk to you later…
Note: Information for this post was taken from www.bluecrab.info.com
October 24th, 2009
When I travel between Delaware and Baltimore, Maryland I have a few favorite restaurants that I make a point to stop for either lunch, dinner or kick back a little and have some appetizers.
This is the time of the year for oysters and I remember when I first moved to Baltimore and went to the famous Lexington Market; my first introduction to oysters. I was not sure if I was going to be able to eat them but, just like I love clams, oysters became a favorite; raw or steamed.
Harris Crab House is one of those restaurants I stop all the time. It is a true crab house and seafood restaurant; you can see from the parking lot the oysters being hauled in. Check that picture.
The address is Kent Narrows Way, North, Grasonville, Md, 21638. It is Rt. 50/301, exit 42 and follow the signs to Harris Crab House. Their tel. is 410-827-9500 and the fax is 410-827-9057. The e-mail address is into@harriscrabhouse.com and the website is www.harriscrabhouse.com.
My favorite items on the menu are the jumbo crabs, when available. Those big gigantic crabs are so tasty and easier to pick when they are that big. Other favorites are the oysters and clams. On Friday’s, starting around 5:00 p.m. they offer their all you can eat oysters, cooked or raw, stew, fried, you name it.
The restaurant has outdoor seating, weather permitting. Right on the water, with great views of waterfowl, and boats going by. The tables are all covered with paper ready to be filled with crabs and other seafood delights. They also have a full menu and bar, as well.
Harris Crab House will mail order anywhere in the world. Check their website for all kinds of information, specials, tailgating, and coupons.
And, remember, only about 4 minutes from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
As I mentioned above, this is the time of the year for oysters. I figure maybe a few recipes are in order.
I love buying cookbooks and I do make those recipes my own. Sometimes I doctor the recipe a little or just leave the way it is. One book that I have had for a long time is Private Collections: A Culinary Treasure by the Women’s Committe of the Walters Art Gallery. Last printing was in 1979. The Walters Art Gallery is now known as the Walters Art Museum. It is located on 600 N. Charles St., Baltimore. Tel. 410-547-9000. Website is www.thewalters.org. It is open Wednesdays – Sundays from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
In case you do not know this museum, The Walters Art Museum is internationally renowned for its art. It was a gift to the city of Baltimore by William (the father) and Henry Walters (the son), who had artistic interests and public mindness. Today, the art collection has more than 28,000 objects. Please visit the website for on-going and future exhitibits.
The following recipes I have used plenty of times and I hope you like them:
Oyster Stew
1/4 lb. bacon
1 quart scalded milk
2-3 large potatoes
Pinch of thyme
Large bay leaf
2 T chopped parsley
1 pint oysters with their liquid
3 Ts. butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Peel and boil the potatoes in salted water. Drain and mash them in a soup kettle.
Dice the bacon in small pieces and fry it in a skillet over moderate heat. Remove it to a plate and add milk to the frying pan to scald it. Remove from heat.
Add the milk to the mashed potatoes gradually.
Add thyme, bay leaf, and parsley and heat to boiling point, but do not let it boil or it will curdle.
Remove bay leaf and add the oysters and their liquid, butter, salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with the fried bacon.
Toasted bread will be a great addition.
Serves 4.
Oyster Casserole
1 1/2 pints fresh oysters
1 package Uncle Ben’s long grain and wild rice mixture
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 t paprika
1/4 lb. sharp cheese, grated
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
4 Ts melted butter
1/4 oyster liquor
Drain the oysters, reserving 1/4 cup of the oyster liquor.
Cook the rice according to the package directions, to the moist stage.
In a buttered casserole arrange 1/3 of the rice. Lay half the oysters on top, sprinkle with some salt and pepper, if you want, paprika, and 1/3 of the cheese.
Add half the butter.
Then repeat the process ending with a layer of the rice and cheese. Spoon the oyster juice over it.
Top with bread crumbs, butter, and remaining cheese.
Refrigerate for half a day, then bake for 20 minutes on a 400 degree oven.
Serves 6.
Oysters Cotton Patch
1 pint oysters
Pancake flour
2 eggs, well beaten
Cornflake crumbs
Oil to measure about 3/4 inch in the frying skillet
Drain the oysters and pat them dry. Then dip them, one at a time, first in pancake flour, then into the beaten egg, and finally in the cornflake crumbs.
Pat them again gently and set aside.
When ready to serve, heat the oil, and fry the oysters at medium heat, no more than 8 at a time, until brown on each side.
Drain them on paper towels and keep them warm until the oysters have been fried.
You can serve these as an appetizer, over a salad or as a dinner with a salad and vegetable.
Serves 4.
Enjoy and see you sooon…..
Note: Information on the Walters Art Museum was taken f rom www.thewalters.org.
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