When I first saw it, I thought, "What did that poor corn muffin ever do to anybody???"

You’re right. And I’m not sure I would like a crab served that way. Can’t understand the point of the whole thing, breading a hard shell. Now, softshell crabs, that’s another story![:p][:p]

Several years ago at K-Paul’s in New Orleans, a person at our table ordered Deviled Crab and got something similar. This thing was huge and made even scarier by being served on its back with the legs sticking up. Just like the face grabber in Alien!! It seemed to have been steamed, shelled and reassembled before being dipped in a spicy onion ring-type batter and deep fried. It was much larger than a blue crab. The leg that I tried had been shelled, but was as big as my finger.

[?] Repellent-looking but delicious? There’s a problem? Think tiny little squid tentacles, crumb-coated and fried; okra with tomatoes & onions (I know, not to everyone’s taste!); boiled chitlins (not to my taste!); boudin, black or white. . . . The list could go on forever. I’m with Buddy & Scorereader.

quote:

Originally posted by BuddyRoadhouse

From Michael Stern’s review of The Crab Claw:

"The idea was to pick some of the batter off the exterior, then crack the shell and retrieve the meat inside. It was an adventure!"

The bold type and italics are mine in a an effort to remind all the naysayers and scaredy-cats that a significant part of enjoying Roadfood lies in the adventure of checking out the unknown Mom & Pop joint as opposed to the safety and dull certainty of the well know chains you all claim to abhor.

Does that battered, deep fried crab look weird? You bet!

That may be part of its attraction too.

To this Midwestern boy’s eyes, that happen to be situated at least a thousand miles from the nearest ocean coast, that crab looks pretty darned good.

Buddy

Well said Buddy!

I hope all the nay-sayers never get mad at the kid who refuses to try somthing because he/she doesn’t like the way it looks or because it’s not prepared the way he/she expects.

~Scorereader

I havw thought about this picture for some time … ever since I first came accross it

It all looks like equipment used for a game that was a precursor to baseball.

Does not appeal to me. It is like eating that thing in the Alien movies.

quote:

Originally posted by marshrat

I think I’d just take that mallet and hit myself in the head for ordering that thing!

Best response yet.

John

From Michael Stern’s review of The Crab Claw:

"The idea was to pick some of the batter off the exterior, then crack the shell and retrieve the meat inside. It was an adventure!"

The bold type and italics are mine in a an effort to remind all the naysayers and scaredy-cats that a significant part of enjoying Roadfood lies in the adventure of checking out the unknown Mom & Pop joint as opposed to the safety and dull certainty of the well know chains you all claim to abhor.

Does that battered, deep fried crab look weird? You bet!

That may be part of its attraction too.

To this Midwestern boy’s eyes, that happen to be situated at least a thousand miles from the nearest ocean coast, that crab looks pretty darned good.

Buddy

quote:

Originally posted by shortchef

Aw, c’mon, you guys. I have eaten literally hundreds of hardshell crabs (and probably gallons of beer with them) and they are food for the gods. Nothing better than that sweet, white crab meat. And they have to be blue crabs (callinectes sapidus) not that canned crab meat from overseas. Don’t knock it, try it instead.[:p]

You should re-read the thread, because you completely missed the point. No one’s against hard-shelled crab. It’s the idea of battering and frying them with the shells on that we think is weird.

Shortchef, I don’t think anyone seems to be saying "ugh, crab, who would eat crabs?" but rather took issue with that particular crab’s presentation.

There’s nothing as good as a newspapered tableful of steaming blue crab and gallons of melted butter in front of you, but goodlordalmighty, isn’t it enough work without the batter?

Have to admit, the explanation that there’s a crabcake in there helped it to make a little more sense, I guess. Sorta.

Nyack and New City!! When I was a kid I lived in West Haverstraw and Stony Point for several years. We used to bike down to Grassy Point and go crabbing or visit the commercial fisherman’s wharf to see the day’s catch. The fisherman would fry up skeins of fresh shad roe right there on the wharf. Saw some HUGE stripers. My grandparents lived on 9W in West Haverstraw directly across from Hoyer’s Ice Cream which if still in business would be a real road food place.

Aw, c’mon, you guys. I have eaten literally hundreds of hardshell crabs (and probably gallons of beer with them) and they are food for the gods. Nothing better than that sweet, white crab meat. And they have to be blue crabs (callinectes sapidus) not that canned crab meat from overseas. Don’t knock it, try it instead.[:p]