Harris Crab House

Long tables are covered with brown wrapping paper at Harris Crab House. The big, airy dining room and outdoor deck pulse with the beat of crab shells cracking and people slurping up sweet pink meat. Buy extra-large ones by the dozen and feast, the Chesapeake Bay way.

What to eat at Harris Crab House in Grasonville, MD

Alternatives to the full-bore crab feast include steamed spiced shrimp and fried shrimp, cherrystone clams by the pail, snow crab by the bucket, stuffed soft-shells, even steak and chicken and ribs. One appetizer known as Cajun mac ‘n’ cheese is not particularly Cajun, but is pretty damn wonderful: shrimp and crawfish plus bacon are mixed into the noodles along with sharp, smoky cheese. None of this food is cheap – crabs are especially dear – but it tastes as rich as it costs.

Of the several sybaritic desserts  at the Harris Crab House (fudge brownie cake, Key lime pie, turtle cheesecake), one holds tremendous appeal to those of us who share a forbidden love of what we sometimes call gas station ice cream, those inexcusably bad but somehow alluring King Kones, Drumsticks, et. al. that fill the freezer case at your local Exxon or mini mart. This is Harris Crab Houses own Nutty Buddy, made with actual quality ice cream, crisp nuts, and decent chocolate. And for those who crave a strictly regional denouement to dinner, how about a slice of multi-layered Smith Island Cake?