Maryland Crabs Are Plentiful and Prices are Good

Consumers Urged to Start Planning Their Crab Feasts Now

ANNAPOLIS --– According to reports by Maryland watermen, blue crabs are in good supply and prices are now lower than at this time last year. Prices have fallen since Memorial Day and supplies are expected to continue to be plentiful. Maryland crab meat is also available and at good prices. Normally, most crab meat producers are not in full swing until the middle of the summer but, this year production has started earlier due to the abundance of crabs and current low market prices.

“I encourage everyone to plan their crab feasts now as it looks to be a wonderful year for Maryland crabs and crab meat,” said Agriculture Secretary Lewis R. Riley. “Consumers should shop for the best deals, paying careful attention to purchase crabs and crab meat from Maryland.”

Seafood quality and safety is a Maryland tradition. Several state agencies, local health departments and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration conduct regular product and plant inspections and water tests ensuring that Maryland seafood is a most wholesome product for consumers. Maryland is also the only state that has a voluntary quality control and sanitation inspection, providing additional level of quality assurance for consumers.

Hosting a crab feast can be a lot of fun with some careful planning. Here are some tips and recipes for you to enjoy the perfect Maryland crab and seafood feast.

• Decide how many crabs you will need. A bushel of number 1 -"Jimmy" or male crabs will generally feed 10 to 12 people. Depending on the size of the crab, a bushel will hold about 60 to 70 crabs. By adding other food items to the menu, you will not need as many crabs per person.
• Stagger your crab cooking time. While your guests are eating the first half of the crabs, you can steam the second half of the bushel. That way they will be hot when everyone is ready for the second batch.
• Be sure to cook only live crabs and never place cooked crabs in the same basket that held live crabs.
• Cover your table with plenty of newspapers and have mallets, knives and plenty of paper towels available. As for those claws: "Don't smash them, just crack them!" Remind your guests not to eat the “mustard.”
• For more variety, add other Maryland seafood delicacies such as grilled rockfish, steamed clams, scalded oysters and other crab delights. Your feast will turn into a grand seafood festival!

Eating Maryland seafood is a healthy, delicious way to improve your lifestyle. An excellent source of high quality protein, seafood is easily digested, generally low in fat, sodium and calories and high in important vitamins and minerals. In addition, seafood contains Omega-3 fatty acids, believed to be effective in lowering cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.

For more information about Maryland’s famous blue crab, contact the Maryland Department of Agriculture's Seafood Marketing Program for a copy of a new brochure titled “Maryland Blue Crab: The Art of Buying, Preparing, Cooking, Picking & Storing.” Additional seafood recipes and tips are available at www.state.md.us or by calling toll-free in Maryland (888) 841-5828 or (410) 841-5972. For the most recent recreational fishing and seafood consumption recommendations, log onto www.mde.state.md.us