⚓️Recipe Creations ~ Features
Searching online lobster docks takes some major clicking...
Searching online lobster docks takes some major clicking...
Searching online lobster docks takes some major clicking...
Keep your Lobster Tails Exquisite!
Searching online lobster docks takes some major clicking, especially when sorting through Caribbean and Maine markets. Named warm or cold-water tails appropriately, they both grill to a buttery masterpiece. Lobster boats search out the heaviest and healthiest crustacean, in the same “family” as shrimp and crabs. Ironically, the taste falls somewhere between the two. Plumper in texture from crabs and buttery with a more robust flavor from shrimp, lobster tails find themselves in many delicious plates. Rich Lobster Thermidor, decadently creamy lobster mac and cheese, and toasted bun enveloped lobster rolls all lead the list, but what about a smoky grilled lobster tail?
Receiving a lobster tail in the mail, protected with dry ice, and packed for freshness required the utmost care from your seafood source, but taking the tail from the package to the plate requires some skills. Try grilling, a favorite choice, since brushing the tails with garlic butter naturally embellishes lobster’s inherent buttery flavor. Follow these steps for the ideal grilling.
Prepare the tails. Brush each thawed tail with extra virgin olive oil and dash with sea salt and ground pepper. The sea salt will add a bit of crunchiness and flavor with the salt’s many minerals. Let the tails soak in the mix as you heat the grill to medium-high temperature.
While grilling, keep brushing. Place the tails on the grill once it has reached the desired temperature and brush the flesh side with a whisked mix of melted butter, crushed garlic, lemon juice, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. Look for the Spanish paprika to ensure the “smokiness” and the cayenne will add a surprising sweetness. Then take tongs and turn the tails flesh side down.
Allow the tails to cook. Keep from touching the tails and let the flames add smokiness to the meat. Allow about 5-6 minutes as the meat turns golden brown and the shell turns red. Keep to the proportions for a 5 oz. tail’s cooking time: 5-6 minutes. Then for another 2-4 minutes, flip the tails to shell side down and brush the tails again. Keep your eye on the prize. Opaque meat with a golden brown means a delicious meal. Something not mentioned too much is the fact that the true chef cooks tails from a thawed state. Frozen produces tough meat, while marinated thawed tails give you an exquisite dish!
Switch your Sandwich to a Soft Shell Delicacy!
Searching online lobster docks takes some major clicking...
Searching online lobster docks takes some major clicking...
- Soft Shells ~ Bursting Shells, these crabs boast delicate texture and robust salty-sweet flavor.
Pan-sear, deep-fry or even sauté, soft shells head the list for the “must haves” for a true Chesapeake Crab Feast!
Get the Story ~
Chesapeake Bay watermen daily return with hefty blue crab bushels from early April until late November. Racing the rising sun, these hard working crabbers search out peelers or crabs with back swimming legs showing a “cracking” in the back shell. These crabs will soon fill their shell cavities with water, causing a quick break in the shell from the pressure. Swiftly they walk out of the old shell, nude and vulnerable to other crabs that will, without hesitation, scarf them down as a morning snack. These soft shells sense this danger and swim for cover. For 1-2 days they must hide until a new shell grows.
Fun fact. Male Crabs may protect their female mate as she molts by holding her tightly until the new shell grows. This process is quite unique and special.
A soft shell exhibits a more tender meat, marinated by the complete submersion in bay waters. Chefs around the world pay top dollar for crab crews who follow a strict process in delivering soft shells to the table.
- One, they set aside the peelers when potted, who show signs of molting.
- Two, they place these crabs in a brackish tank, giving them time to molt into a soft shell.
- Three, without hesitation, they harvest the softshell from the tank and clean and dress it for a quick delivery.
Time consuming, but once you feast on a few, you’ll know why soft shells receive awards for taste!
🧐 What’s the Deal with a Soft-Shell Crab? Soft-shells make crab feasting easy. Many crab fans opt for a crab cake since they require much less work. Mounds of lump, pan-seared into a gold brown cake nestled nicely on a Kaiser roll just makes sense. But what if I tell you, you can enjoy a crab with the jumbo, lump, and claw meat without the picking? Yes, it’s true. The soft-shell. Maryland Blue Crabs molt several times a season, especially in late spring and early summer. They burst out of their shells as a result of a “fat” body. No longer can they live in a confining shell, and need to leave that shell and grow a new one. In between shells, they become quite a delicacy. A crab with no need for shell cracking since it’s naked! All the claw, lump, and jumbo meat is ready for the taking. The process is intricate as the crab slowly walks out of his old shell and takes a few days to harden a new, larger one. The crabbers have a short window to bring the soft-shell to the table.With an eye on the clock, crabbers watch over “busters” or crabs ready to molt and then harvest the soft-shell. Normally, they place them in protected tanks away from predators and other crabs who will gladly feast on them. Once ready, they clean and dress the soft-shell, which means cutting away any inedible areas such as the mouth parts. Then they either sell them fresh or flash frozen. Of course, the frozen crabs give convenience for the cooking calendar. We suggest you try out all different combinations. Consider Waffles the Maryland Style, Soft Shell Crab Pasta, or Tempura Soft Shell. The choices abound! Start with a size, the Hotels {4”-4.5”} that fit snuggly on a sandwich. Go crazy over soft shells!
Treat Blue Crab Meat with Respect!
Searching online lobster docks takes some major clicking...
Treat Blue Crab Meat with Respect!
What’s in your Dip?
Splashing in a pool of butter, freshly picked jumbo tastes salty sweet with a malty butter finishing. A true bay enthusiast knows paprika and peppers, found in JO spice, take the flavor to a delicious level. If you’re feasting on crabs, you already love the taste, but adding some creativity for sauce selections can give your feast some festive themes. Our crew mix up a DELMARVA recipe with apple cider vinegar, brown sugar and bay spices. This sauce plays into a traditional Chesapeake Bay favorite. Try out some other themes. How about Hawaiian with a pineapple peppery mix? Texans opt for a BBQ concoction that takes the blue crab to the Lone Star State. A meal lasts for an hour or two, but a feast can last all day. Mix up a dip that can add some zip to the seventh inning!
Italian Herb Dipping Sauce
⚜Get your ingredients together. 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2/3 cup white wine vinegar, 1 tsp. fresh parsley, 1 tsp. fresh oregano, ½ tsp. fresh basil, ½ tsp. black pepper, ½ tsp. Old Bay.
⚜Keep it Simple. In a bowl, whisk olive oil and vinegar as you slowly add the herbs and spices. Thoroughly combine.
⚜Surprise your Guests. You may even want to give them a hint with toasted garlic butter crostini and a Caesar salad as a starter for the steamed crabs. Pour your dip in butter warmers and enjoy traditionally steamed blue crabs with a sophisticated Italian dipping sauce. Bon Appetit!
Continue the Italian theme with Lump Crab Pizza!
⚜Get your ingredients together ~
Round 12-inch wheat pizza dough
1 cup basil, oregano marinara
2 cups JUMBO crab meat
Red onions, sliced in chunks
1 cup sliced Shiitake mushrooms
8 Sliced sweet Italian sausage links
Tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheddar
1 cup shredded mozzarella
Get your Chef on!
⚜Step 1 ~ Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
⚜Step 2 ~ Flatten the dough on a greased pizza pan. Use extra virgin olive oil. Spread the marinara evenly over the dough.
⚜Step 3 ~ Then, have fun decorating the dough with all the ingredients. Evenly disperse the sausage, crabmeat, onions, and mushrooms. Then sprinkle with the old Bay.
⚜Step 4 ~ Bake on the lowest rack for 20-25 minutes. Promptly remove, slice and enjoy!
Cook with Care!
Go with the Flow, the Craze for Healthy
Treat Blue Crab Meat with Respect!
Half Bushel Blue Crabs require an exact cooking. They don’t taste delicious undercooked like a chocolate chip cookie, nor do they add pizzazz when overcooked as crunchy rice for a beef kabab. To achieve a proper cooking, many enthusiasts start by watching the shell. Most crustaceans exhibit a brownish-green color, but when cooked they turn a bright orange. A protein pigment breaks down during the cooking process. Many use this as a guide, but a genuine chef needs to show more care. An orange blue crab, for example may have a center lump piece that still hasn’t thoroughly cooked. That’s a dangerous morsel that may cause food poisoning. There is no joking or whimsical cooking with crabs. Just to be sure, possibly find a trusty food thermometer and take the temperature of the inner crab cavities. If it reads 145 degrees F and above, you’re ready to feast! Get the hot butter ready!
Cooking Suggestion ~ Oven Roasted Crabs
Preparation ~ Set your oven at 450-degree F, and a steamer to ¾ throttle. Place your live crabs on ice to “settle them down.” Steam them unstacked, at one layer. Avoid stacking them since this will keep some meat un-steamed. Remove and let the crabs cool a bit. Then remove the top carapace, and scrape away the lungs and innards (yellow mustard, etc.)
Oven Roasting ~ Brush the opened crab with garlic, olive butter, and season lightly with Old Bay (JO Spice #2, if you want the crab house experience). Position the crabs in a roasting pan and cook until you hear a sizzling and the outer edges of the crab’s shell appear brownish, and the meat a golden brown. Plan on about ten minutes.
Savoring ~ Serve with hot clarified butter or an authentic Delmarva Dipping Sauce. You’ll note extra tender meat with a profound buttery flavor and a sweetness that only a Maryland Crab can offer!
Go with the Flow, the Craze for Healthy
Go with the Flow, the Craze for Healthy
Go with the Flow, the Craze for Healthy
Get Creative with your Mahi Mahi!
Go with the flow, the craze for healthy, but deliciously tasty seafood. Mahi mahi fits the bill. Caught in tropical waters, especially Florida down into the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, this fish fits many recipes with ease and grace. Delicately sweet with a firm flaky texture, mahi mahi soaks in spices and sauces majestically. With such a firm texture, it doesn’t tend to get mushy, but keeps its form through the heaviest sauce. Some consider it “sensational.” Diners get excited over its appeal and equally thrilled over the fresh taste.
Try out a Mahi Mahi Taco
Mediterranean inspirations complement the Mexican traditions. Let the olive oil tenderize and the curry stand up and take notice. Greek yogurt and fresh garden lettuce and vine ripe tomatoes add a hearty freshness to this meal as a perfect addition to a crab feast or alone with a cream of crab soup.
Get your ingredients ready. (4) mahi mahi fillets, (soft wheat tacos, (½ cup) shredded sharp cheddar, (½ cup) diced vine ripe tomatoes, (1½ cup) chopped iceberg, (1) lime zest, (1) sliced avocado, (1½ cup) Greek yogurt, (1 tsp.) extra virgin olive oil, (to taste) salt & pepper, (1 tsp.) paprika, (1 tsp.) curry, (1 tsp.) dried oregano, (1/4 cup) chopped chives.
Get Creative. Spray a nonstick cast iron pan with cooking spray. Preheat it medium/high. Season each thawed fillet with salt & pepper to taste.
Mix up the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk paprika, curry, oregano, chives, garlic, and olive oil.
Cook the fish. In a hot pan for about 3 to 4 minutes, sauté on one side and then flip for another 1 to 2 minutes on the other. Allow the fish to develop an opaqueness with slight golden brown. Then pour the sauce over the fish and spread it thoroughly over it.
Prepare for the Tacos. Chop the fish into bite sizes and disperse a half fillet on the taco shell. Cover it with iceberg, tomatoes, cheddar, and a squeeze of lime. Scoop a generous side of yogurt as a creamy complement to the zesty fish. Serve swiftly to maximize the enjoyment in the hot fish and cool garden favorites. Eat with assurance. Mahi mahi is loaded with Vitamin B, perfect for heart health!
🦞Cooking Flexibility!
Go with the Flow, the Craze for Healthy
Go with the Flow, the Craze for Healthy
🍎Toss the Apple & Grab a Blue Crab!
⚽️What makes Jumbo Meat a Prized Find?
First, finding jumbo chunks in the blue crab is easy. Locate the back two swimming paddle leg area and you’ll note two large pristine crab chunks. You laid your hungry fingers on it with no major picking since the meat is denser, plump, and intact, compared to the flaky lump, body meat. These two muscles maneuver the crabs for its sidewise swimming and develop into an impressive chunk from continues use and nourishment. Eelgrass, snails, oysters, small fish, plankton, etc. help build this muscle into quite a spectacle, perfect for cocktails and exquisite sautés. Each crab stage and molting year grows this crustacean into a prized jumbo candidate. For example, a bay crab, 5”-5.5” won’t have as much jumbo as an extra-large, 6.5”-7”. Once you realize it, you can easily pull jumbo chunks from the crab and taste the distinct sweet flavor with a buttery hint. With such a large portion, jumbo meat is prized for a bold culinary statement, “Blue Crabs have entered the building!”
🏓Captain Jim’s Jumbo Crab Tequila Martinis
Get a little spicy with a hint of agave with this Maryland meets Mexico refreshing cocktail. Jumbo lump chunks, adorned with diced fresh peppers, onions, and cucumbers make the bay lovers shout their Maryland Pride with a chorus of Olés!
Get your kitchen hopping with the finest ingredients.
- 8 oz. portion of Jumbo Crab Meat from Chesapeake Crab Connection Co.
- 1 ½ tsp. diced red pepper
- 1 ½ tsp. red onion
- 1 ½ tsp. diced cucumber
- Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 ½ tsp. Gold Tequila
🏓Impress as a Mixologist
In a medium sized bowl, fold together all ingredients. Add the jumbo meat last and carefully cover with the vegetables. Plump jumbo meat holds together compared to flaky lump, but still use caution when folding together. You want to impress with the pristine pieces. Dash the top with Old Bay and set in the fridge for about 2 hours. When happy hour begins, take the mix out of the fridge, and divide into two martini glasses. Finally, garnish with an orange peel and savor the best cocktail this side of the Bay Bridge!
🤿Is Jumbo Crab Meat a healthy choice?
Recent culinary trends have taken recipes to a more fish based diet, away from high levels of saturated fats and sugars. Vegans triumph eggplant patties or black bean burgers, but Pescatarians look towards the sea for protein rich additions to their greens. Blue Crabs fit the bill and then some. High in protein and essential vitamins, they offer a low mercury choice even better than salmon. Pristine and clean, jumbo meat boasts huge chunks from two large crab muscles paddling the back swimming legs through the waters.
The Blue Crab constantly swims around looking for nourishment and enjoying the lively rushing currents. Their energetic lifestyle develops a meat high in protein, about 17 grams per a 3 oz. serving. Crab dishes definitely benefit from this feature. A traditional crab cake normally includes about 4-5 ounces of crab meat, so that golden brown delicacy boasts over 20 grams of protein. Delicious and power-packed! Two other nutrients receive praise from dieticians: chromium and selenium. Chromium helps metabolize sugars in the body, helping a fit body trim up. Selenium means business by fighting cancer cells in the body. These two amazing nutrients will take your delicious feast to a Pescatarian healthy choice!
🍂What’s the BEST Way to Golden-Brown a Crab Cake?
🍂What’s the BEST Way to Golden-Brown a Crab Cake?
🍂What’s the BEST Way to Golden-Brown a Crab Cake?
Maryland Lump Crab Cakes take the blue crab’s salty sweet taste to a two-dimensional delicious morsel. The golden-brown exterior caramelizes from the meat’s protein breaking down from the heat, causing a unique buttery sweetness. The cake’s interior, protected from the outer shell holds in the heat and produces a tender robust meat, flavored from the bay spices, dry mustard, black pepper, and egg. The crushed crackers give the cake a heartiness, but as a costar to the lump crab meat, picked from the crab’s two equal cavities under the main shell. This meat naturally holds together from the flakiness of the texture. So, the best Maryland Crab Cakes allow the meat to hold the cake together, and not by added fillers.
Now to the golden browning. First, get your kitchen workstation ready. Preheat the oven to 325°F and coat a large skillet with extra virgin olive oil. Find unsalted butter sticks from your refrigerator or fill a ramekin with oil. Get a brush ready for basting. Locate your Old Bay and a large cooking sheet. Lastly, make sure you have paper towels ready to go.
Get Cooking. Grease the cooking sheet with olive oil and position the frozen cakes equally apart, but not touching. You want the meat on the exterior to cook evenly for a full golden-brown shell. Slice a small slab of butter and place it on the top of each cake or with the brush, lightly coat the top of the cake with oil. Finally pinch a conservative amount of Old Bay on each. Start the timer for 15 minutes and get baking!
Keep an Eye on the Cakes. Make sure you have the oven light on so you can see the cakes transforming into that golden-brown masterpiece. If you see over-browning, promptly remove the cakes and finish on the skillet. As far as the stove top, turn on the heat at about the 10-minute point in baking. At medium-high, the oil in the skillet should begin to dance, but not a full-fledged sizzle.
Get that final searing and “hockey-puck” look in the pan. From the oven, place the cakes in the skillet and finish a searing for 30 seconds per side. Press down with the spatula on both sides to flatten the cake and then scoop each out onto a paper towel to soak up extra oil, “grease,” from the cakes. Wait about 5 minutes and serve. Listen for the accolades. You just made the BEST golden-brown cakes!
Serve a Delicious Crab Cake Sandwich Like a Whiz!
Back in the 30’s, crab cake sandwiches made their debut in kitchens along the East Coast. Then, the craze took over the nation in one crispy cake after another! Crosby Gaige created the recipe in his cookbook, New York World’s Fair Cookbook. A simple preparation makes the crab’s salty sweet meat pop with a robust buttery taste. Nestle a golden-brown cake on a soft and light Brioche bun, buttered and lightly toasted. The sweetness of the French bread will complement the salty succulence of the lump meat. Balance the flavors with a crisp lettuce and ripe tomato. The textures will bind with a tangy, yet spicy remoulade. The key is to showcase the crab cake with the “costars” on the plate, not upstage it.
With this same theme of showcasing the cake, choose sides that complement the crab cake’s salty sweetness. Grilled asparagus, yellow squash, and broccoli will add earthy smokiness to healthy sides. Basil buttered mashed potatoes and crispy sweet potato fries serve as two worthy starches that will add fullness to the meal. Don’t forget favorites like colorful slaw with sweet peppers and purple cabbage or white balsamic chickpea salad. Add colors to your plate, but have all eyes and appetites directed to that golden-brown masterpiece!
🦀Double Dozen Large Showdown
🍂What’s the BEST Way to Golden-Brown a Crab Cake?
🍂What’s the BEST Way to Golden-Brown a Crab Cake?
(Posted 3/21/22)
Blockbuster Dock's Double Dozen Large Price Slashed until 4pm ~ 8% OFF ~ Maryland Style Crabs 6"-6.5" caught FRESH ~ Delivered even FRESHER!
{Visit Ordercrabs.com for this special.}
Double Dozen Large Chesapeake Bay Crabs Show Sophistication!
Captain Jim suggests 6-8 steamed blue crabs per serving. Of course, that depends on your side selections. Crabs warrant an enthusiast with skills at getting to all that crab meat. The back part of the crab boasts the jumbo pieces with a pristine, clean tasting, and salty-sweet sophistication worthy of a smooth hot butter dip. The pieces pull easily from the back-swimming leg areas. Running along the crab body, you’ll find the lump. Similar in taste to the jumbo, the pieces have a more flaky quality. Many crab picking pros use the lump for crab cakes. (Stay tuned for our crispy crab cake recipe!) If you had to pin-point a difference, the jumbo has a slightly more buttery flavor than the lump. If you have “pent up frustrations” from all this crab eating know-how, try tapping the claws with a mallet. Just tap, don’t smash. No one likes pieces of claw meat with shattered shells! Robust, fibrous with a more profound crab taste, claw meat adds a bit more sweetness to the experience. Large crabs measure 6”-6.5” on the top shell, so eat with assurance! With a double dozen, you'll get loads of delicious crab meat!
(6 oz.) "Signature" Frozen Lump Crab Cakes-Handmade with 100% USA Crab Meat
Cooking your Crab Cake
1) Thaw cake for up to 10-14 hours in fridge for best cooking texture and flavor.
2) Option A: Bake cake at 350°F on an oiled tray for 25-30 minutes. Option B: Pan fry with 2 tablespoons of olive oil for 6.5 minutes/side. Option C: Deep fry cakes in 350°F for 5-7 minutes.
3) Plate your cake for a traditional Maryland Crab Cake entrée or sandwich. Our cakes, processed in the Blue Crab capitol in Crisfield, Maryland follow a Chesapeake Bay culture recipe. These cakes exhibit 80% crab meat and 20% binding ingredients including eggs, mayonnaise, bread crumbs, dry mustard, black pepper and Old Bay.
🌾Try something NEW with a Crab Cake!
🍂What’s the BEST Way to Golden-Brown a Crab Cake?
🌾Try something NEW with a Crab Cake!
Maryland Crab Cakes quite frequently find favor around the holiday table. Some diners prefer seafood, but want a hearty, rich alternative. Mounds of lump, crushed cracker, mayonnaise, eggs, and bay seasonings take the crab’s succulence to a crispy mouth-watering seafood level. The cake doesn’t rise in the traditional sense, but binds together with the egg and crushed cracker. Dropping a frozen cake in hot peanut oil instantly cooks the cake with a tender “gooey” inside and crusty, golden brown outside. Chefs prefer this choice for the obvious ease, while diners get a kick out of the crunchy “shell” to the cake and tender inside. The best feature in frying is the versatility in serving a fried cake. The durability helps it keep its form in a sandwich, a farmhouse salad, or even warm soup!
Our challenge in a creative recipe is to embellish a Maryland Crab Soup with a floating fried crab cake. Sound amazing? It is! First, get the cakes cooked. Heat the peanut oil to 375 degrees F and drop the cakes. Let them fry between 3-5 minutes. You want to develop the fried shell so they stay intact in the soup. Once finished, take a mesh strainer and scoop out the cakes and then unload them on a paper towel. Let the oil seep out and then position the cake in the center of a heaping, hot bowl of Maryland Crab Soup. The soup’s stewed tomatoes, lima beans, corn kernels, carrots, shredded claw meat and beef broth will complement the buttery, succulent cake. Serve immediately for the max enjoyment with the contrasting textures of the sip of the broth and crunch of the cake. Make each meal memorable with a Maryland Blue Crab!
