Maryland Blue Crabs

The Chesapeake blue crab is steamed rather than boiled, heavily seasoned with Old Bay or a house equivalent, and served in a pile on a table covered in brown paper with a wooden mallet and a knife. Eating them is the point and it is slow work: you pick each crab apart by hand, and a dozen takes a long while, which is why a crab feast runs for an afternoon rather than an hour. Crabs are sold by size and priced accordingly, and the price swings hard with the season and the catch. Soft-shell crabs - the same animal caught just after moulting - are eaten whole and fried. Stocks fluctuate and the fishery is managed with seasonal limits.

What you actually see

• Steamed, not boiled - and heavily seasoned with Old Bay.
• Brown paper, mallet and knife - the whole table setting.
• Sold by size, priced by the dozen - the price moves with the catch.
• Soft-shells in season - the same crab just after moulting.

When to go

June to September, when crabs are running. An afternoon.

Honest expectations

It is messy, slow and hard work for the amount of meat. Prices are high and vary week to week. Out of season crabs may be imported rather than local - ask. Some houses steam far heavier on seasoning than others.

Nearby

Annapolis is on the bay; the Eastern Shore is across the bridge.