Customer Reviews

Blue Crabs: Catch 'em, Cook 'em, Eat 'em

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Last year I got a new obsession, crabbing. And when I say "obsession," it's not hyperbole - after I went on the docks in Long Island and New Jersey for the first time in July I was in crab overdrive for the next 3 months, only foiled when I wrecked my car on Southern State Parkway in October on my way out to the Captree docks. I then went into withdrawal and finally remission by Christmas, helped along by my current obsession - reading about crabs.

That said, I must say that most of the joy of crabbing is simply pulling up a trap and seeing what's in it (besides blue crabs, I caught spider crabs, leopard crabs, hermit crabs, puffers, croakers, baby bluefish and one summer fluke), so there's not much an instructional book can tell you. I'd even venture to say the subtitle "Catch `Em, Cook `Em, Eat `Em" conveys the necessary instructions sufficiently.

But the book did tell me a few things I didn't know from 3 months of crabbing, like some alternate methods of crabbing, like scapping (a fancy term for catching them with a net), trotlining, handlining (basically, throw a chicken leg out in a piece of string and pull it back when you feel a crab eating it) and seining. There a re also some recipes that sound worth a try, and some scientific information that was moderately fascinating - did you know, for example, that crabs are the marine equivalent of spiders, and the only reason they're bigger is that the water helps support the weight of their shell? Maybe you did, but I didn't. Hey, I was an English major.

We bought this book last summer while vacationing on the Outer Banks. Using Blue Crabs, Catch `em, Cook `em, Eat `em, my family was able to catch plenty of crabs and prepare some very tasty meals. We were also able to learn all kinds of interesting things about blue crabs. The book is written in a clear and organized fashion, very reader-friendly. I recommend the book for families seeking a simple, enjoyable pastime which will provide lasting memories of beach vacations.

Hi, I am a midwesterner
Can catch, clean, cook PERCH but not CRAB
The book is very helpful.
Bye! I'm getting hungry.

What a great little book! I'm a crab-aholic and I thought that I knew a lot about blue crabs, but now I'm armed with even more information. You too can find out extra little tidbits about these fiesty, delectable creatures!

Living off the sea & nothing but you & the ocean between you & gold...blue gold, that is. This is an excellent book for a boy fascinated by Deadliest Catch TV Series. This gives the practical advice needed to head for the high seas & bring home all the treasure the blue crab world has to offer. Written in simple language and combined with lovely photographs. My son read it in one day because he loved it so much.