Trying Crab for the First Time
It was after a surprise date Jonathan planned for us last Thanksgiving that I decided it was important for me to try new things more often! Being able to say “I’ve never done that” or “I’ve never tasted that” or “I’ve never been there” used to make me proud. Now it makes me step back and think, “is there a reason I haven’t done that?” If there isn’t anything wrong with doing it, then I’d rather choose a fuller life and experience everything I can in the time I have in this world.
8 pounds of Dungeness Crab
A few weeks back, my co-op did a buy on Dungeness Crab. Having heard Jonathan say he liked crab, I decided it was an opportunity for me to try something new! I went ahead and ordered 8lbs of live crab, thinking that would be plenty. I recently started a new fitness program and diet plan, so I was glad for a little variety in the protein department as well.
When I picked up my order, I was surprised to find out I was going to have to crack the meat out of the shells myself. I still can’t believe Crab is often served in that form; cooked, but whole. The thought of having those pinchers sitting on my plate, and the long jointed legs sprawled across the dish is completely un-appetizing in EVERY way!
A Crabby Job
It took Jonathan and I nearly an hour of working together to tediously crack those crabs apart and pull the delicate meat from the crevices. What a job! Kitty Macchiato was fascinated with the new scent in the house and wanted to jump up on the counter and participate in this new experience. She was thrilled when we occasionally spilled a bite on the floor.
I was a little devastated when we finished our work and only had a small pile of meat ready for cooking/eating. Jonathan pulled out my food scale and we discovered there was only a measly little 3lbs of edible meat from 8 lbs of live crab! This nearly tripled my $ per pound that I had paid for the meat. Now I understand that I did get a good deal, but I don’t think I would have paid that price had I understood just how little food I was actually going to end up with in the end!
The Taste Test
The next day, I surfed the internet a bit looking at different crab recipes. I finally settled on a crab salad recipe with raving reviews. We both agreed it sounded better than crab cakes or quiche, so I mixed the ingredients together and we sat down to a lunch of crab salad, crackers, and cheese.
Now, the texture wasn’t unbearable….but I can’t say I liked it! The flavors left much to be desired. While we were eating it, Jonathan mentioned that he thought it should have a bit more punch in the way of spice, perhaps some salsa or something. The next day, I decided to see if salsa would help it out at all. We had crab salad, lettuce, and salsa roll ups for lunch the next day. This was a huge improvement to plain crab salad on crackers and I actually kind of enjoyed the new flavors in that way.
Over all, I think it’s important to note that crab is a side dish, not a main course! It is typically served as an appetizer or hors d’oeuvre. Crab is a delicacy, both in how much you want to eat at a time, and in price for sure! I don’t think I’ll be splurging on that again anytime soon!! I should have trusted my instincts that said “I don’t like crab” even though I had never tasted it”. LOL!
Check. I have officially tasted crab.
What’s your favorite shell fish? Tasty way to prepare crab meat? Let me know in the comments. I do still have 2lbs of crab meat in the freezer that I need to use sometime!
