Crab Claws and Wassau

This is a stone crab.




This is a stone crab claw. It's one of the most delectable things you can put in your mouth (minus the shell, of course). So imagine my delight when Davis came home Saturday with a bucket of them for lunch! That Davis!



Stone crabs live in deep water. And they're endangered, so you can't just take a bushel of crabs home to eat them. When you catch a crab, you can only take one of its claws, and it must be at least 2 3/4 inches long. The crab needs its other claw to protect itself in the water. Last week, Davis went on a mission for stone crabs. He put two traps in the Back River and returned to them daily to check on his catch.

He caught a mess-o-crabs.

Cooking those crab claws isn't difficult, but to get the best meat, it's good to follow a process. Davis boiled them in a pot of water seasoned with Old Bay. After boiling them for five minutes, he drained them, then shocked them in ice water for seven minutes. That encourages the meat to let go of the shell for easier crab picking.

Boy, were those crab claws good! Clorox loved them too. He must have thought it was Christmas, because we never feed him fresh crab meat. After his meal, Davis said Clorox was so happy he had a glow about him. After a heavenly lunch, Clorox took a nap in his laughing place: the kitchen cabinet.

We, on the other hand, hopped in the boat for an afternoon trip to Wassau Island. We anchored there and watched the tide come in while Stephen and the kids fished and dove off the boat. With the cool breeze and the sunny sky, Wassau was the place to be Sunday afternoon.