By Ben Adler
Sorry D.C. boosters, but my attempts to be more positive in my blogging are being temporarily sidetracked. Amanda has pointed me to the crabs at Art and Soul, a fancy spot on Capitol Hill. If you click on the link, what’s wrong with the picture? The crabs are covered in some sort of red dust! I first encountered this nonsense at the charmingly rustic Quarterdeck bar and restaurant in Arlington. A friend told me it was a bastion of crabs and cheap beer and we went one day last summer after work.
One thing that the “Mid-Atlantic” region does have to offer is famous crabs from the Maryland Bay, and I’ve had some good crab cakes in D.C., so I thought this would surely be a good experience. I was wrong. The crabs were smothered in a salty seasoning that got all over my hands. It tasted like the powder that comes with Ramen Noodles that you mix in. Except it wasn’t mixed. That, it turns out, is Old Bay, a local Mrs. Dash-like seasoning that Marylanders inexplicably put on all kinds of things. Ben Miller once made surprisingly excellent buffalo wings, and then decided to waste a bunch of wings by putting Old Bay on them. He also likes Old Bay flavored chips. Apparently, if you are from Maryland, using Old Bay is like saying “wicked” if you hail from New England.
While I’m not a big fan of Old Bay chips or fried chicken, I don’t think those things taste that bad either. After all, potato chips are supposed to be salty and dry. Fried chicken wings often benefit from an added flavoring. Crabs, on the other hand, are supposed to be creamy and subtle. When cooking fresh shellfish, everyone knows that less is more. Lobster comes completely unadorned, as do crabs in most places. You get some butter, some lemon, and that’s it. If you are having stone crabs served cold, then maybe you’ll get a sauce to dip it in, sort of like shrimp cocktail, but at least the dipping is optional. Not so with Old Bay, they just shmear it on there like it’s olive oil on arugula. What have they got to hide? If the crabs are so good and fresh why can’t they speak for themselves?
21 responses so far ↓
Lana // June 3, 2009 at 7:54 am
i wholeheartedly agree, to the chagrin of my inlaws and also service people at crab shacks in annapolis. it’s been my experience that people in this region tend to smother all their otherwise good-tasting food with too much sugar, salt, syrups, sauces, etc.
Catty // June 3, 2009 at 8:22 am
As we head to the Potomac River next week, I look forward to picking some crabs. My family there always steams crabs with a dollop of old bay, then rinses and cleans them before we pick. You get the delicious flavor of the crab that way! I never got the Old Bay style. What a mess.
J.W. Hamner // June 3, 2009 at 8:57 am
Eating steamed blue crabs with drawn butter is about the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of. Lol.
bailey // June 3, 2009 at 9:06 am
The Maryland Bay? I’m not familiar with that one.
Zach // June 3, 2009 at 9:46 am
1. Maryland bay?
2. A good crab shack doesn’t just throw Old Bay on and call it a day; the seasoning’s got more than that (which I think makes it worse by your less-is-more logic, but oh well)
3. Old bay is delicious
4. I never thought much of the flavor actually penetrated the meat; the primary benefit for me is making the finger-licking portion of crab picking more enjoyable. The actual meat tastes like… steamed crab.
5. Get corn with clarified butter on the side to satisfy your shellfish+butter craving
I haven’t been here too long; the only thing that’s still a mystery to me is why crabcakes are so expensive.
J.W. Hamner // June 3, 2009 at 9:52 am
Yes. The seasoning does not penetrate the shell. It gets on your fingers, which then subtly flavors the meat as you eat it. I would argue this is actually much less overpowering than dipping something in cocktail sauce or whatever.
Amanda // June 3, 2009 at 9:53 am
Badler, you are just plain wrong. If the Old Bay is too spicy for you, you could always wash it down with some nice cold apple juice punch.
mrh // June 3, 2009 at 10:29 am
Wait, this is crazy talk. Too much Old Bay is no good, sure, but Old Bay is delicious.
millerben // June 3, 2009 at 10:32 am
For those as distressed as I am about this blasphemous description, I laid down the law here: http://internetfoodassociation.com/2009/06/03/a-lesson-on-crustaceans/
oh no. noooooo. // June 3, 2009 at 10:53 am
I will listen to “Angry Rants from New Yorkers” regarding: bagels, pizza, the like. I will laugh and find you silly when you rant about things like…. crabs.
(Note, Old Bay seasoning shouldn’t really be “red dust,” though, so having never been to Quarterdeck, I can’t speak to their goods. )
Also, the flavor shouldn’t penetrate the meat, like Zach mentions. If it’s too spicy or hurts your delicate fingers…. well, I don’t know what to say.
Maybe: PICKIN CRAB: YR DOIN IT WRONG????
B // June 3, 2009 at 10:58 am
I’m sorry, but you are a jackass.
About that Old Bay « The Internet Food Association // June 3, 2009 at 11:47 am
[...] Per all this, obvs. Ben Miller and Spencer are correct here. But you know where else Old Bay is a wonderful addition? A good Bloody Mary. Of course, a good Bloody Mary should have vodka, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, lemon or lime juice, Tabasco, either celery or olives (I prefer olives), and lots of ice. I know the inclusion of horseradish is highly contested. But I’d argue that it’s Old Bay that makes a Bloody Mary truly delightful. Even better if the rim of the glass is encrusted with Old Bay, in the manner of a Margarita with salt. [...]
unionmaidn // June 3, 2009 at 12:03 pm
You remind of someone. Who was it…oh yes. Myself.
When I went to the Bahamas for the first time with my partner (then-BF), he and all his relatives were singing the praises of the Bahamian national seafood delicacies, conch fritters and conch salad. Relatives went out of their way to take us to places that served up the “best” of each of these. And I was frankly nonplussed. I couldn’t see the appeal of chewy, rubbery shellfish battered and deep fried–it was like getting something off the children’s menu at Applebee’s. Conch salad was even worse–a bland, undressed mixture of chopped fresh conch and cabbage.
But you know what? On subsequent visits, I’ve had these things again and again. And I’ve come to enjoy them, and even to sample them in different places and rate their quality along with the Bahamian relatives.
Why do I keep eating the conch delicacies? BECAUSE IT’S THE LOCAL CUISINE. And I’ve begun to enjoy it. Enjoyment of the conch is one of the few things that will rev up conversations among the generally reserved Bahamian people.
verplanck colvin // June 3, 2009 at 12:31 pm
When cooking fresh shellfish, everyone knows that less is more. Lobster comes completely unadorned, as do crabs in most places. You get some butter, some lemon, and that’s it.
Let’s just ignore fried lobster, stuffed lobster tails, lobster rolls, lobster chowder, etc. etc.
You’re from NY. I can see this rant coming from someone from another coastal region, but your homeland has no cultural contribution to shellfish preparation aside from manhattan clam chowder.
Your old bay hate has piqued my curiosity for maryland-style crabs.
Angry Rant From A Real Brooklynite: Ben Adler Has Jumped The Shark « The Internet Food Association // June 3, 2009 at 1:09 pm
[...] brings me to my friend Ben Adler’s idiotic attack on Old Bay-slathered crabs. You can read Ben Miller’s substantive response for why Adler is wrong. I’d rather [...]
P-Funk // June 3, 2009 at 1:09 pm
PROTIP: avoid boiled crawfish if you ever make it to Louisiana. Bonus: watch everyone laugh at you for being a whiny sissy who sucks.
More Axe // June 3, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Who the hell dips blue crab in butter?
I’m assuming this post is a parody…
GL // June 6, 2009 at 9:02 am
This is all just ridiculous. Maryland-style crab is great. Old Bay is great. Conch is not as described above….and is also great.
On its 70th Birthday, Old Bay Spices Up My Life | Food & Think // August 4, 2009 at 1:09 pm
[...] Internet Food Association blew up a couple of months ago when their blasphemous New York blogger insulted the use of Old Bay on crabs, which is kind of like being angry about having Thousand Island [...]
Alicia // August 5, 2009 at 12:30 am
I would like to point out that it is not the “Maryland Bay.” It is the Chesapeake Bay.
Enjoy your other crabs any way you’d like, but if it is Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus), then the only way it should be consumed is with Old Bay. Sapidus means savory in Latin, and it perfectly describes the way a Blue Crab tastes. The savory and slightly spicy taste of Old Bay seasoning is a perfect compliment to the natural crab flavors.
Paddy // December 23, 2009 at 11:34 pm
How about: get my crab out of that crappy guy’s hand.
ugh. man, this is disgraceful. get this adler guy out of my face.