Recipes

Serving up some fresh Maryland Crabs
Photo Credit: Charlie Petrocci

It would be truly a shame to come to Maryland's Eastern Shore and not enjoy the rare treat of a traditional crab feast. No where else in the world can you find this delicacy cooked to such perfection.

One distinction between the way crabs are prepared here and the way they are done elsewhere is that here they are steamed - not boiled. The unique sweet flavor is not diluted in the process. Any recipe containing crab meat benefits from this. So, it is best to always use crab meat that comes from steamed not boiled crabs. And, there are countless ways to enjoy Maryland Blue Crabs.

Types of Crabmeat

Lump is from the largest pieces of meat from the body, adjacent to the backfin. It is the most expensive form of crabmeat.
Backfin is the white body meat including lump and large flakes. It is used for crab cakes and crab imperial.
Special are flakes of white body meat other than lump. It is good for crab cakes, soups, casseroles and dips.
Claw meat is brownish meat from the claws. This is best for soups and dips. It is the least expensive type of crab meat.

Softshell crabs are delicious!
Photo Credit: Charlie Petrocci

The Standards - Famous Maryland Crab Recipes

Steamed Blue Crabs

Maryland Crab Cakes & Balls

Hot Crab Dip

Fried Soft Shell Crabs

Crab Imperial

Crab Soup

Crab Smitty

Maryland Seafood Pasta

Recipes From CrabPlace.com *

Recipes From Smith Island Crabmeat Co-op, Inc. *

10,000 Years of Seafood Feasts and Still Counting - By Charlie Petrocci August, 2003

* These companies have received support from the Rural Development Center at UMES.

Our crabs may start out blue, but once cooked they turn a nice bright orange. If you want to turn an ordinary meal into something jazzy try adding crab meat to any of the following dishes:
   Omelets
   Devilled Eggs
    (with or without minced ham)
   Fresh Garden Salad
   Twice Baked Potatoes
   Scalloped Potatoes
   Cheese Lasagne or Ravioli
   Soups such as:
     Cream of Tomato
     Cream of Asparagus
     Cream of Mushroom
     Corn Chowder
     Clam Chowder

This site was designed, illustrated, and compiled by Dana Kester McCabe of Moonshell Productions with some content provided by Kate O'Mara. The site content was edited by Kat Harting of Skipjack.net. All questions and comments about the site should be directed to the Rural Development Center at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore: email dskuennen@mail.umes.edu or call 410-651-6183.

This site is funded by the Rural Development Center at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore through a grant from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.