Getting Crabby >:(

[Ji in Hawaii]

This weekend I was getting crabby so threw my traps out in backyard stream and caught some mud crabs known locally as Samoan crab (mean buggars). No females and minimum size 6 inches across the back shell. 2 larges males were keepers, and threw back 4 which were either females or undersize. I steamed them up tonight and shared with my inlaws, my wife's dad LOVES these things. 2 crabs fed 5 people with leftovers. They were so flavorful no butter needed, just some ice cold Steinlagers to wash it down.

The stream in my backyard at sunset


Crab before (in 48 qt. cooler)


Crabs after (in my giant SS bowl)

[AkRay]

Beautiful location and beautiful food, Ji! I'm envious.

[Borregos]

Tasty

[RIHMFIRE]

gosh that looks good...

[Bill in Oregon]

Wow those things look meaty. If they are better than our Oregon Dungeness crabs, you've got some really spectacular eating right there.

[Dave B]

Dave B

[piller]

Looks wonderful. Hope you enjoyed it.

[Blaine]

[Charles]

Ji...I know you have had a rought sled over the past few year, but you are a blessed man in many ways.

[bdhold]

good-looking bugs, but you're missing some parts

[piller]

Now that looks Cajun to me. I am getting hungry.

[bdhold]

here's another good one

now I'm hungry - pass the hammer

[Ji in Hawaii]

good-looking bugs, but you're missing some parts

Those taters & corn sure look yummy. You use Old Bay in your boil?

[bdhold]

There's a Boiling Pot restaurant in Fulton Beach on the TX coast, and they've added a few other restaurants in a few other TX cities.
I was lucky to be there (fishing) on opening weekend with a fishing buddy, who used to guide out of Goose Island, and knew the owner. They do a very nice boil. The tables are empty cable spools - they cover them with newspaper, wrap a big bib around your neck, dump a pot on your table, hand you a hammer, and roll it up when you're done. Crabs, shrimp, mudbugs, potatoes, corn, andouille sausage, and a little boudin for an appetizer...
http://theboilingpotonline.com/index.html

[rjohns94]

looks very similar to the Blue crab here on the east coast. two is just a beginning of a meal with them. Generally we get a dozen a piece. Very nice Ji.

Bulldog, your pictures are making me hungry.

[Rusty]

They look a lot like our stone crabs. Down here they catch the stone crabs and break off one pincher and throw the crab back. He can live with only one pincher and the one you broke off will grow back.

Try that sometime Ji and see how it works for you.

[3leggedturtle]

Mouth is watering at the thought a crab dinner. What makes them so mean? They really fast or ?

[Grizz]

good blessings there Ji

[ollogger]

Wow thats really great to have that in your back yard, looks real nice!
its 75 miles to Red Lobster, so latley we have some lobster shipped from Maine for a treat



ollogger

[Ji in Hawaii]

Mouth is watering at the thought a crab dinner. What makes them so mean? They really fast or ?

Just by their nature these crabs are especially ornery with a short temper matched only by their lighting fast reflexes and super powerful pinchers. More than a few inexperienced crabbers have lost a digit to one of these critters.

[FWiedner]

Which one in the 'after' photo is the one in the cooler shot?

I need to know for emotional closure.

[1894c]

it's 9:30 pm Pacific NorthWest time...and looking at this thread and all of the posts here has made me hungry...thanks guys...heading for the fridge as i type...
Friends Call Me Ji--nice pics...really nice place you have there too...thank you for sharing...couldn't find any crabs so i settled for pop-corn...and yes it was a tough struggle to get all of the kernels into the popper... :)

[Ji in Hawaii]

Which one in the 'after' photo is the one in the cooler shot?

I need to know for emotional closure.

The slightly larger one on the left is the one in the cooler. I had to dump ice into the cooler to knock him out before I could put into the steamer. I had to steam them individually as I had neither a pot nor a steamer large enough to cook both at once.

[Rimfire McNutjob]

I can see why they would be called Samoan crabs ... they're kind of husky compared to our little Blue crabs over here.

[m.wun]

I bet dem buggas ono bra!

[Ysabel Kid]

Now I'm really hungry!

[Hobie]

good-looking bugs, but you're missing some parts

Is there some alligator in that pile? Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, good. My dear departed Father-in-law would say, "there's some good groceries right there son!"