:-D LOVE IT! And no we don’t hate you Adam. It’s definitely a ‘gotta try it at least once’ kind of experience! Good show fellow blogger!

Hmmm… of course we won’t hate you :) . Glad you guys liked them, even if they’re not your favorite crab. I’ve eaten many a Dungeness crab, though mostly in SoCal (not easy to find in Maryland). My first time was with a friend from Richmond (same Bay, same blue crabs) when we visited Seattle oh, ten, eleven years ago. It was my first experience with Dungeness. I am probably the first person from either Maryland or Virginia to admit that Dungeness is quite good. I lived in SoCal for six years so it was all the crab I could find. Still, my allegiances will always lie with good ol’ Chesapeake Bay Callinectus sapidus.

Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone wear a crab bib.

**SNIFFLE** Now I want to get some blue crabs. I’m lucky ‘cuz my sister’s father-in-law is going crabbing on Thursday. So I’ll just snag some off of him. I was a little embarrassed to not come up with a quick answer on a crab house, since I usually rely on the kindness of others for my crabs. And that’s not a pun at all, I swear!!!

“We’re the best, don’t front”?! You are freaking HILARIOUS. I can’t believe I live so close to the crab goodness (I’m in Vancouver, BC), yet have never had it.

Oops, I was so excited I forgot to fill in my name. I am Anonymous from the above comment.

I knew Dungeness would win all along! There is just no competition regarding flavor. However, I love eating stone crab claws, too. Mostly because it’s pretty novel here in California and it’s so easy to just plop huge chunks of meat from the previously sawed claws.

Getting messy and violent is half the fun of eating Blue Crabs. We don’t hate you at all. To each their own. But we will still claim we have the best crabcake. Next time you have to do a crabcake test.

Imagine my own dilemma- Born in Maryland and cut my teeth on an Old Bay encrusted crab, and I now live in the Pacific NW!

I have learned to not tell a soul!!

I love these kinds of posts! I also enjoyed the line “we are the best, don’t front”.

Oh, man — O’Bryckis is definitely not the place to go, but that’s ok. I had a feeling you were going to prefer the Dungeness crabs anyway. ‘Doesn’t bother me — I will always be true to the blue.

:)

You have to try my Maryland Crab Soup Pie!!!

http://devourthis.typepad.com/devour_this/2007/10/shout-out-to-md.html

Seriously, you should have also had crabcakes, and gone to Bertha’s Mussels to do it… and eaten mussels while you’re at it.

You’re forgiven, although I don’t know if that’s a fair crab vs. crab test. I think you have to try a blue crab without seasoning next to a Dungeness without seasoning.

I find blue crab sweeter and richer tasting than Dungeness. I also prefer blue crab to lobster, and I notice that people tend to prefer which ever they’ve been eating since childhood. Is there such a thing as food imprinting?

I’m an East Coaster through and through but I like Dungeness better. Meatier and the actual meat has a different flavor to it that I like. And drenched in garlic butter? Mmmmm, take me away.

BTW, though I’ve not been, I hear O’Brycki’s is … well, it’s like Corner Bistro of burgers or something. (How I Met Your Mother reference) lol

Fantastic post, Adam.

Agreed…sweet, fresh dungeness are definitely just better.

OF COURSE Dungeness won! Nothing can compare to the buttery flavor of that Pacific Northwest delicacy. But, damn, I do want to use one of those mallets.

I have to agree with Julie, of course: that the fairest way to try them both is to try them both without Old Bay. Or both with. Most NWCoasters may have an aneurysm upon hearing this, but whenever I ate Dungeness crab I always did it the only way I knew how to eat crab – by dipping it in butter and Old Bay. So to be fair, It’s been years since I experienced Old Bay-free Dungeness crab. Of course, having eaten both with Old Bay, I still prefer the sweet MD/VA blues. MAYBE those from North Carolina, since that’s pretty close to the Chesapeake as it is.

Great post loved the John Waters ending

Hilarious!

We ended up at O’Bryckis, too. Hours after we thought we would… after hours of aimlessly walking around Fells Point. Too bad we didn’t meet up (probably our fault).

Ruth and I both had the broiled platter and two Crabby Mary’s (did you have one?). It was all amazing. The next night we went to LP (LJ?) Steamers, where I sliced my thumb open on a shell (I need to work on my technique). When I wasn’t eating crabs, I was eating crab cakes (even at author hospitality). I’ve never had so much crab in my life.

Well done, Baltimore.

The comic book layout is fantastic! Very clever.

Years ago when I lived in Key West we went blue crab-hunting. That was lots of fun, mucking around with nets in teams of 2-3. We got about a bushel then rushed home to blind them with Ol’Bay and steam them.

But the mess–oh, Adam, the mess. All for a small bite of crabmeat… and then you had to begin again. Ugh. After two crabs, I was finished trying to harvest a few tablespoons of meat and avoiding all the guts and mustard… ick!

So I just drank while everyone else ate, quickly becoming the happiest person at the table!

Since then, I’ve not tried whole crabs again. Do dungeoness provide more bang for the buck, so to speak?

We still love you.

(love the JW ending!)

Are you just saying that so Craig won’t be mad at you? I think this is rigged (not that I’ve been able to compare them myself). :)

so what do blue crabs taste like? haven’t tried one and i’m curious.

Sadly blue crabs are slow growing and have been over fished for decades. Average size has been declining over the years. Most restaurants don’t actually serve crabs caught in Maryland.

The other problem is that the smaller the crab, the more work you have for less meat. A well fed, #1(jumbo) blue crab will always be sweeter than a dungeness. Don’t get me wrong, I love dungeness.

Whatever anyone prefers, the best crabs are the ones you eat right after you catch them. They are one of the many foods that degrade by minutes and hours, not days