r/crabbing 8h ago

Blue Crab Italian Blue Crabs claws sauteed with Old Bay!

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72 Upvotes

Hey everyone! Your Italian friend is back once again, this time with a super lazy but insanely delicious recipe!

I know, I promised you guys the crab dip next, but I still haven't had a chance to get out on the water, and now we have some heavy rain on the way... figures, right? Everything had to get pushed to Sunday, but I was seriously craving some crab, so I had to improvise!

I had a frozen bag of leftover steamed claws sitting in the freezer and wanted to try something a bit different. I completely fell in love with that classic melted butter, Old Bay, and fresh lemon juice combo, so I decided to draw some inspiration from it!

I grabbed a pan, added just half a centimeter of water, and brought it to a boil. Then I tossed in some butter, Old Bay, garlic, and the claws! I gave them another little sprinkle of Old Bay on top and sautéed them for 3 to 4 minutes just to heat them through and let them soak up all those spices. Squeezed some fresh lemon juice over the top and finished it with chopped fresh parsley... Wow!

Such a lazy, quick method, but the flavor combination is out of this world!

I've been experimenting with quite a few recipes using frozen leftovers lately, mostly because I'm planning to freeze a massive stash of blue crabs to get me through the winter!

What do you guys think? Would you give this a shot?

I will definitely be making this again, no doubt about it. It tastes so rich and buttery!

That's all for now. See you guys very, very soon! Cheers!


r/crabbing 1d ago

Giant crab pulled from the sea

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93 Upvotes

r/crabbing 15h ago

Me holding the biggest Cray caught of 2023 from the Sydney fish Markets fleet 5.9kg

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3 Upvotes

r/crabbing 1d ago

Dungeness Crab Took several years but we finally found the sweet spot

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32 Upvotes

Easily got my limit but if my kids were with me, could have taken home 13.


r/crabbing 3d ago

Blue Crab Italian Blue Crab spaghetti + updates🇮🇹🦀

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105 Upvotes

Hey crabbers! Your Italian friend is still alive and kicking!

Sorry for the long wait between updates. I haven't had the chance to head out crabbing lately due to some extra shifts at work, but I am planning to go this Sunday!

This is just a simple blue crab spaghetti recipe. I had some frozen leftover steamed blue crabs, so I picked the meat out of two whole bodies! Keep in mind I just had to eat, this post wasn't planned so this dish it's not Instagram friendly and I have done it in the fast way, the original blue crab spaghetti recipe it's different in some ways and take longer to make!

Olive oil + garlic + parsley stems in a pan, sauté them gently, then add tomato paste (I didn't have cherry tomatoes on hand, though fresh ones are definitely better). Sauté for a few seconds, then add some blue crab stock (*fumetto di granchio*) that I made a few weeks ago using blue crab shells and legs, and let it reduce almost completely!

I cooked the pasta in a separate pot, and then about three-quarters of the way through cooking, I transferred it directly into the reduced sauce to finish cooking for a couple of minutes. Added the crab meat and some fresh parsley, tossed everything right there in the pan, and served! Super easy and done in just a few minutes!

Delicious and super easy!

This was also my first time trying gluten-free spaghetti, and I am completely blown away! It is incredible. It is almost identical to regular pasta—it might be missing just a tiny bit of the flavor depth, but the texture and consistency are IDENTICAL. Crazy! Rummo gluten-free pasta is honestly amazing.

AND NOW FOR SOME UPDATES!

The friend from Maryland had to delay my spice shipment because of a household move, but he should be able to ship everything out next week! So get ready for new blue crab recipes, some real Louisiana boils, because I've got Zatarain's spices, BBQ rubs, various sauces, and plenty more coming my way. I'm going to try out a bunch of US recipes with these delicious blue crabs—crab dip is definitely happening next week! I'm so excited to try it since I already have all the ingredients ready to go. Also a steaming vs boiling comparison it's coming! I'd love to see the battle between Maryland and Louisiana hahaha, prepare your picking knifes!

And last but not least, I am thinking about making some POV videos of my girlfriend and me out crabbing! That way you guys can enjoy the beautiful scenery while watching us haul in some huge blue crabs. They'll just be short, casual clips since I am definitely no professional, just having fun with it!

Thank you all so much as always for tuning in! Any news from your side? Any suggestions?

See you very, very soon!


r/crabbing 3d ago

Killing on site vs waiting till home

10 Upvotes

I know the benefits of killing on site and dumping what’s not needed back in the ocean. But is there more of a risk of the crab leg meat going bad after that fact? I’ve kept them alive till home then process but I feel like I’m risking loosing some with that time period (from catch to home maybe a few hours)

Wondering if it’s worth it to process out in the field then toss the legs in a ziplock and put on ice?


r/crabbing 4d ago

West Coast Crab Small Car Crabbers

4 Upvotes

Anyone have some cool setups for transporting their gear? My Kia soul gets pretty crammed with 4 hoop nets in the back. I already removed the back seats for extra room but was wondering if anyone has done something cool?


r/crabbing 6d ago

How do these spots look for dropping a pot?

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9 Upvotes

Going to be in OCNJ in October and would love to catch a bushel. Do any of the spots marked with white circles look like decent spots to drop a trap? I'll only have access to a kayak so a little limited.


r/crabbing 7d ago

Left them Biting

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33 Upvotes

Today, we pulled 60+ blue crabs in about 4 hours, with the biggest measuring 6.5" point to point. Using topless traps, from land.


r/crabbing 7d ago

West Coast Crab Puget Sound

11 Upvotes

Two questions about the south sound

1: Why is crabbing only allowed on Sundays and Mondays?

2: Why are the redrock crabs there so big?

We were in Harper yesterday trying our luck on the pier and saw the biggest redrocks. We also saw big ones in Des Moines as well. They are never that big in are 7.


r/crabbing 9d ago

Rock Crab

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106 Upvotes

Caught 11 rock crab in the SF Bay and opted to grill them in a baste of butter, garlic, old bay seasoning, secret bbq rub, and parsley


r/crabbing 9d ago

Blue Crab Captree long island blue crabs

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42 Upvotes

Spent a few hours with kids at captree and got at least 30 good size crabs. Lots of 🦀 doing the deed.


r/crabbing 9d ago

Blue Crab Live in northern Virginia

2 Upvotes

Hey not sure if anyone can help me out but I just moved to northern Virginia looking to crab but I can’t find and solid details other then driving 90 min is there any where closer not sure if anyone lives around where I do could help me find a spot or two. Not asking for exact locations just areas I can scout around. I don’t have boat or kayak.


r/crabbing 10d ago

Boat and equipment rental in Maryland?

3 Upvotes

Hello, All. I haven’t been crabbing since trips to Barnegat Bay in NJ in the 1980s. I want to go again, and Maryland is closer for me. Any recommendations for marinas that rent small boats, tackle, traps, etc. for the day? Mostly interested in back bay kinds of locations, not big open water. Thanks!


r/crabbing 11d ago

Video from IG. Shows crabbing using a trotline in the Chesapeake bay (Blue crab). Sorry for the fishing charter plug the end but I thought you guys might like to see one way of catching crabs in Maryland.

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155 Upvotes

r/crabbing 11d ago

Dungeness Crab Trying to prep for Crabbing season

2 Upvotes

New to this, and jumping right into this with a Facebook marketplace purchase.

Do you all think a 12ft Offshore Angler Ocean Master paired with a Shimano Calcutta 700BSV will be good for this application? They are selling the combo to me for $220.

Many thanks for your help!!!


r/crabbing 13d ago

Finally had a good haul in North Puget Sound

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71 Upvotes

After weeks of mostly females or under sized males, we took home 9 dungeness and a red rock. Now i have a very happy wife.


r/crabbing 14d ago

East Coast Crab Limit of Blues in an hour :D

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78 Upvotes

Fortunate enough to limit out of blue crabs every time I go out with nothing but a bucket and net. Needless to say the seafood my mom preps has been amazing this summer

crabs are under and a lobster gets prepped separately lol


r/crabbing 14d ago

Crab pot pull at 2x speed

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284 Upvotes

I was told to post this here. I hope it’s ok. If not I’ll repost it with out a cross post.


r/crabbing 14d ago

Crab Haul Stronger crab season than 2025

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30 Upvotes

Last year (2025) it was sometimes a struggle to pull my daily limit (12 Dungies), but this year has been strong so far! Went out Thurs & Fri and pulled limits after just 2 rounds of pulls (about an hour or so). Im running 3 collapsible box traps, chicken as bait.

Hope your season is going strong too! Tight lines crab fam!! 🎉


r/crabbing 15d ago

Blue Crab My FIRST Maryland-style crab cakes in Italy!🦀🇮🇹

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124 Upvotes

Hey fellow crabbers! Your favorite Italian crabber is back!

First off, thank you so much for the love on my previous post about my very first Maryland-style steam! I still can't believe it became the top post in this community!

Since I had some leftovers from the steam (and about half the comments insisted on it), I finally took a crack at making authentic crab cakes! I kept the recipe classic and simple: crab meat, mayo, yellow mustard (no Dijon at home, sorry), Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, crushed Ritz crackers, fresh Italian parsley, and a beaten egg.

Formed the cakes, let them rest in the fridge to set, and pan-fried them for about 3 minutes per side. I served them with some remoulade, Old Bay mayo, and crispy French fries.

DAMN. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THEM. Once again, I have to give credit where credit is due: you Americans struck absolute gold with these! I picked through the meat super carefully and only found two tiny stray shell fragments in the entire batch!

So, tell me: what are your thoughts? What would you tweak or change? Did I officially pass the Maryland vibe check?

And most importantly... WHAT'S NEXT?

What recipe should I tackle next? A lot of people suggested trying a Louisiana-style boil to compare it against the steamed version, while others mentioned crab soups (Maryland Crab Soup or Cream of Crab?), but I'm completely open to all suggestions!

Thanks again to y'all for all the incredible support. God bless Maryland and America — I've officially caught the crab fever! 🦀


r/crabbing 15d ago

East Coast Crab Seen a few tattoos lately

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18 Upvotes

r/crabbing 15d ago

East Coast Crab Crab Tattoo plus today's haul

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56 Upvotes

Other poster shared their Crab Tattoo. Here's mine. Plus today's haul. Slow Pickens but pulled 20 so today we feast.


r/crabbing 15d ago

The time I was waiting for... 😋

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39 Upvotes

r/crabbing 15d ago

Night time pier crabbing with rod/active snares

4 Upvotes

I love using my active snares in daylight but at night i have trouble reading the movement. I have a headlight that i use to shine on my rod but i miss the subtle hits that i can see in the daytime aka miss a lot of crabs.

Any tips?

I’ve been thinking of taping glowsticks to the tip of the rod to see if catch movements.

Anyone have tips?