Captain Trey's Seafood

Store Hours

Tuesday - Sunday

11 a.m. - 8 p.m.

(Closed Mondays from September through April)

Location

10625 York Rd.

Cockeysville, MD 21030

410-666-4646

Maryland crabs are definitely not fast food. The first time picking (eating) a Maryland crab should be in the company of a veteran picker. If none are available, here is a step-by-step guide to picking a blue crab.

Take your heavy Captain Trey's crab and remove the claws. Set them aside for later. You'll need a crab knife (a butter or steak knife will do). A wooden crab mallet will be helpful for cracking the claws.
Turn the crab over so you're looking at the bottom. Insert the tip of your knife into the apron. Pull it up and back. This detaches the top shell.

Turn the crab over again, right-side up. Now you can take off the top shell. You'll see the gills (and other stuff). Discard the top shell.
Using your knife clean away the gills and everything around them.
Take the remaining crab in your hands and snap it in half. You'll see the crab meat. You can use your fingers or the knife to peel the shell away from the meat or you can use your knife to slice each piece in half again lengthwise and pick out the meat.
Use your knife and wooden mallet to crack open the claws and enjoy them as well.

Callinectes sapidus means "Beautiful swimmer that is savory".

Crabs reach maturity in 12 to 18 months.

Few crabs live longer than 3 years.

The largest crab recorded from Maryland was a male measuring 9 inches; however bigger crabs (10-11 inches) have been captured in DNR crab surveys.

The annual harvest of hard crabs from Chesapeake Bay accounts for over 50% of total U.S. landings.

Cannibalism of young blue crabs by larger crabs is common and may regulate population abundance.

A spring-spawned crab can reach a size of 2½ inches by their first winter.

About CaptainTrey's l Menu l Holiday Platters l Directions l Retail Products l Enjoying Crabs l Useful Links l Contact Us l Home