blue crabs - do you pick out the meat, or make sauce

[spence]

Fresh dungeness crabs are the only ones worth picking yourself in my opinion. Not sure about CT but up here picked jonah crab is pretty available and worth the money if it's fresh...even if it's not as good as blue.

That being said, I don't even like eating whole lobster...what a mess. There should be people to do this for you.

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by spence

Fresh dungeness crabs are the only ones worth picking yourself in my opinion. Not sure about CT but up here picked jonah crab is pretty available and worth the money if it's fresh...even if it's not as good as blue.

That being said, I don't even like eating whole lobster...what a mess. There should be people to do this for you.

I've never had Dungeness, heard it's awesome.

I'd eat lobster all day long. Use heavy duty kitchen shears, cuts through claws and tails like nothing, makes it a snap and less messy.

[JohnR]

Get Blue Crabs when they've sluffed the shell and have a new soft shell, throw some butter on the pan, slap it between some good bread and voila... Soft Crab Sandwhiches

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by JohnR

Get Blue Crabs when they've sluffed the shell and have a new soft shell, throw some butter on the pan, slap it between some good bread and voila... Soft Crab Sandwhiches

You have to clean out the gills first!

[Clammer]

I my late wife …...that was the [CROWN JEWEL} of all foods .

If I only caught one / I would cook it if she wasn,t home & it would be gone when she got home .if she was home . it was history .

True story ….….years ago when there was a huge set of bay scallops in the Salt ponds / the state sold commercial licenses for the 1st time in ???????? years …..……
I was shocked on out of nowhere came this hundreds of skiffs dredges out of no where ………
Me ,,I had gotten a few over the years by hand but I was clueless on this ...But I was real lucky …...my partner at the time / was the last of the 1/2 swamp yankees …….. there was a thing he didn,t know about hunting or fishing …………….. til then I had no idea he had 8 dredges …………. they had to be repaired from sitting / no worries ………… I was told My 20' Hawkline was the dredge boat . because or its high sides & 8' beam ///////////// he made a huge Cullen board /& we were set .
the season started some date in the fall with a 10 bushel per boat limit .
well needless to say ………… the old timers were on the trailers by 7am …………. 10 burlap bags is far more than ten bushels ……………………………….never in my life had I experienced something like this …...to cut this down ...we also had a by catch of undersized. quickly returned a few quahogs & depending on the day . some lobsters .&&&&&&&&&&&&& plenty of bluecrabs ………...I,ll never ever forget backing into the drive the 1st day & Sheila & the kids came running out to see our catch ...we told of our success & mentioned the crabs …………. GONE before we had the boat unhooked Sheila was in the kitchen ……………… if has digital camera,s back then .
Bullraking , clamming , crabbing with chicken necks of p#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g by net off the pilings / did a legal crab ever make it back to the sea .
I ain,t no saint , But its illegal to get them at night in RI ……...so go figure with RI .. the night time is the right time . even now I catch a few when green crabbing ..by catch goes home >>

In Conn .fishing is legal & Conn, stores have all set setup for night fishing ><<>

I know this went winded …….But It brought back a very happy time in [our] my life <><

spent a week around Newport Beach one July .but that another book .<.

[spence]

Originally Posted by Clammer

I my late wife …...that was the [CROWN JEWEL} of all foods .

If I only caught one / I would cook it if she wasn,t home & it would be gone when she got home .if she was home . it was history .

True story ….….years ago when there was a huge set of bay scallops in the Salt ponds / the state sold commercial licenses for the 1st time in ???????? years …..……
I was shocked on out of nowhere came this hundreds of skiffs dredges out of no where ………
Me ,,I had gotten a few over the years by hand but I was clueless on this ...But I was real lucky …...my partner at the time / was the last of the 1/2 swamp yankees …….. there was a thing he didn,t know about hunting or fishing …………….. til then I had no idea he had 8 dredges …………. they had to be repaired from sitting / no worries ………… I was told My 20' Hawkline was the dredge boat . because or its high sides & 8' beam ///////////// he made a huge Cullen board /& we were set .
the season started some date in the fall with a 10 bushel per boat limit .
well needless to say ………… the old timers were on the trailers by 7am …………. 10 burlap bags is far more than ten bushels ……………………………….never in my life had I experienced something like this …...to cut this down ...we also had a by catch of undersized. quickly returned a few quahogs & depending on the day . some lobsters .&&&&&&&&&&&&& plenty of bluecrabs ………...I,ll never ever forget backing into the drive the 1st day & Sheila & the kids came running out to see our catch ...we told of our success & mentioned the crabs …………. GONE before we had the boat unhooked Sheila was in the kitchen ……………… if has digital camera,s back then .
Bullraking , clamming , crabbing with chicken necks of p#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g by net off the pilings / did a legal crab ever make it back to the sea .
I ain,t no saint , But its illegal to get them at night in RI ……...so go figure with RI .. the night time is the right time . even now I catch a few when green crabbing ..by catch goes home >>

In Conn .fishing is legal & Conn, stores have all set setup for night fishing ><<>

I know this went winded …….But It brought back a very happy time in [our] my life <><

spent a week around Newport Beach one July .but that another book .<.

I have no idea what you said but this could be the best post ever on this site.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by spence

I have no idea what you said but this could be the best post ever on this site.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I agree on both counts!!

I'm not sure I could read it, but for damn sure I felt it in my heart. It was the most human post I've read on this site, maybe on the Internet.

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by Clammer

I my late wife …...that was the [CROWN JEWEL} of all foods .

If I only caught one / I would cook it if she wasn,t home & it would be gone when she got home .if she was home . it was history .

True story ….….years ago when there was a huge set of bay scallops in the Salt ponds / the state sold commercial licenses for the 1st time in ???????? years …..……
I was shocked on out of nowhere came this hundreds of skiffs dredges out of no where ………
Me ,,I had gotten a few over the years by hand but I was clueless on this ...But I was real lucky …...my partner at the time / was the last of the 1/2 swamp yankees …….. there was a thing he didn,t know about hunting or fishing …………….. til then I had no idea he had 8 dredges …………. they had to be repaired from sitting / no worries ………… I was told My 20' Hawkline was the dredge boat . because or its high sides & 8' beam ///////////// he made a huge Cullen board /& we were set .
the season started some date in the fall with a 10 bushel per boat limit .
well needless to say ………… the old timers were on the trailers by 7am …………. 10 burlap bags is far more than ten bushels ……………………………….never in my life had I experienced something like this …...to cut this down ...we also had a by catch of undersized. quickly returned a few quahogs & depending on the day . some lobsters .&&&&&&&&&&&&& plenty of bluecrabs ………...I,ll never ever forget backing into the drive the 1st day & Sheila & the kids came running out to see our catch ...we told of our success & mentioned the crabs …………. GONE before we had the boat unhooked Sheila was in the kitchen ……………… if has digital camera,s back then .
Bullraking , clamming , crabbing with chicken necks of p#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g by net off the pilings / did a legal crab ever make it back to the sea .
I ain,t no saint , But its illegal to get them at night in RI ……...so go figure with RI .. the night time is the right time . even now I catch a few when green crabbing ..by catch goes home >>

In Conn .fishing is legal & Conn, stores have all set setup for night fishing ><<>

I know this went winded …….But It brought back a very happy time in [our] my life <><

spent a week around Newport Beach one July .but that another book .<.

Wasn't winded, was a great post.

Here in CT, I'd have no idea where to go, none. We camp a few weekends in South County between August and October, maybe I'll try some spots during the day. But I think maybe only RI residents can do it???