Summer in Baltimore means a lot of things. It means baseball at Camden Yards. It means weekend trips to the beach. And most importantly, it means crabbing. If you are lucky enough to experience summer in Charm City, and you do nothing else, finding a crab deck will ensure your trip will be a memorable one.

This was my first time. And man, I was going to do it right.

In Maryland, the crab of choice – actually the only real option – is the blue crab. Alive, it actually is blue, though you probably will never see it that way. You will see them bright red out of a steamer pot (Maryland blue crabs are always steamed, never boiled) or mixed up into another preparation. But more on those in a moment.

Maryland blue crabs have been overfished, but are not remotely endangered. Between efforts at sustainability and their like for warming waters, the critters are expected to do quite well moving forward. So go to town, and eat as many as your heart delights.

For the most authentic Maryland crab experience, you’ll want to find a crab deck. What is a crab deck? Basically, it’s an outdoor patio connected to a seafood restaurant. Why is it specifically outdoors? Well, things are going to get rather messy.

I went with friends to the crab deck at Captain James Crabhouse, a ship-shaped staple just off Fells Point. The crab deck is just across the street, sitting along the water, with some lovely views of boats. We sat at a table in the shade – Baltimore summers can be hot – and the table was covered with brown butcher paper.

You’ll order crabs by the half dozen, and by size. Larger crabs are more expensive, naturally. For four of us, we figured we would start with a dozen large (medium and extra large were the other options) and see how we did, as well as sides of slaw and Old Bay fries.

A note on Old Bay. It was invented here in Baltimore, and is a spice mix of celery salt, red and black pepper, and paprika. It is delightful, and it is ubiquitous, especially for crabs. Your crabs and fries will come with some already on them, and a container of more Old Bay on the side. Go nuts.

If you want a drink with your crabs, the most traditional are either beer or an Orange Crush, a cocktail of fresh orange, lemon-lime soda, vodka, and orange liqueur. (At Captain James it is called an O’s Crush, for the orange uniforms of the Baltimore Orioles.)

As for utensils, your basic tools will be a wooden mallet and some sort of sharp thing for prying. There will be a bucket for shells, plenty of napkins, and bibs if desired. (I got a bib. Getting crab parts on my shirt doesn’t seem to be a totally necessary aspect to the experience for me.)

The crabs will be dumped out in the center of the table. From here, it’s helpful to have a local to guide you through the process. I’ll try my best to do so, and thank you to my friends for offering help.

Step one. Grab a crab and turn it over. You’ll notice a thing that looks sort of like a pull tab. Grab that and pull up. A small piece of shell will come off with it.

Step two. Pull off the legs by twisting and yanking. If meat comes off with them, eat it immediately. Otherwise, save for later. Same for the claws. The smaller flatter ones that are basically flippers won’t have a ton of meat.

Step three. Using the spot where your pull tab was removed, pull off the top shell. It should come off in one piece, although it will take a bit of force.

Step four. Looking down into the now top shell-less crab, you’ll see the gills. Remove those with your hands or a fork. Same goes with the yellowish stuff underneath. You will discard these into the bucket along with the shells.

Congratulations! You now have a crab mostly ready to eat. But there is still some work to get at the meat. Using your sharp thing, your mallet, and your fingers, you’ll need to break open the meat pockets in the lower shell to get at it. It takes some time but at least now you are eating with each bit of work. The legs and claws come last. Using your mallet, break them open to get at the meat inside. (Some of the smaller legs won’t have much, so don’t worry about it.)

It is a full sensory experience. The feel of the crabs, the sound of hammering, and the taste of the sweet meat make for something akin to immersion. And immersion isn’t just for the senses, as you will get messy. Yes, even with a bib, although it helps. (Pro tip: take your photos at the beginning and then put your phone away.)

Between fries, crabs, and drinks, the dozen large was enough for our group of four, especially given the time taken in the exercise.

Now, if the work-to-food ratio of breaking open your own crabs is a bit off to you, there are other ways to experience Maryland crabs that might take a bit less effort: crab cakes and soup.

Crab cakes can be baked or fried. Ideally they will have a good ratio of crab meat to filler, but that also means the price will go up accordingly. Crabs, after all, are more expensive than breadcrumbs.

As for crab soup, it comes two ways. Traditional Maryland crab soup is a tomato base, slightly spicy. Or you can have it creamy, sort of like clam chowder but with crab. Assuming the restaurant you visit has both, you can also get 50/50, with them mixed. That is the best possible outcome, one I prefer to either soup on its own.

Note: the best soup AND the best crab cakes I had while in Baltimore were at Gertrude’s, an upscale Chesapeake restaurant inside the Baltimore Museum of Art. I highly recommend it.

If you are lucky enough to visit Baltimore in the summer, taking part in the wonder of Maryland crabs borders on a necessity. Whether you are in the mood for cracking them open yourself, or if you want someone else to do the work and prepare them for you, you’ll have a blast!

Like it? Pin it!