Cancer Pegurus: The Irish Tourteaux Crab

A nocturnal predator of darkness, these crabs are most inclined to feast upon blue mussels indigenous to cold Irish waters. Some of the more aggressive tortas have been known to devour small crabs. Cannibals! Like I always say, never feel bad about eating a bully.

Weighing approximately 1# each, the tourteaux crabs are big fat shatzzzz. Also, they don't give a hoot, they will pinch you whenever they want because they do not wear rubber-bands on their claws.

"Berried" woman crabs are illegal to harvest because they are carrying eggs full of larvae. Yea, I just said Larvae. Whachu know 'bout larvae?
The thorax of the tourteaux crab varies in width between males and females, which is the primary way that you can distinguish their sex. Just remember: wide hips = fem-crab or "hen", narrow hips = man-crab aka "cock." Cocks are known for their sweeter whiter meat and hens are known for a darker and more flavorful taste. Either one is good so don't discriminate. Bust out the crab mallets and boil them up.

Enjoy this online video of crabs roaming their natural environment, unless of course you actually have sh*t to do today, in which case watching this video would be about as helpful to you as watching paint dry ;)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELoVwZfmDuA

Oyster Crabs: WTF??

You crack open a sweet and salty James River oyster from the southernmost river of the Cheasapeake. Detaching the adductor muscle and slurping up the still-alive animal you are surprised to feel a weird, crunchy and skiddish creature running laps around your tongue. You instantly freak your deak! Little do you know that this little hitchhiker is an oyster crab and it is a DELICACY in the south. So congratu-freakin-lations, you just had an oyster crab.

Tyler Morris, a former chef of The Breslin NYC and loyal Pierless client recently left the city to try his hand opening Rye, his own restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky. He brought these peculiar oyster crabs to my attention yesterday saying that in fact, his friend had encountered one in his James River oyster. With a little research we found out that indeed these mini crabs are an "epicures delight".

Read the facts on oyster crabs in this very short but interesting old article from the New York Times ca. 1913...

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00D14F7385B13738DDDA00894D9415B838DF1D3


Rye is set to open Fall 2011. Knowing Tyler, Rye will be an amazing place to wine and dine, and if your lucky, oyster crab.

ummm.....yum?

Alaskan King Crab Legs and Halibut 2/08/11

LOVE is in the AIR at your restaurant.

Queue up the Barry White. On Monday night your restaurant is going to get crushed by hoards of crazed couples peering into each other's beady eyes like zombies from across their platters of linguini. Don't they know that in this day and age love is obsolete? Don't be the one to burst their bubble. Just feed them some delicious ocean treats and leave them to their own devices.



 +

= TRUE LOVE

On that note, what says "I love you" better than a big case of CRABS!!

Frozen Alaskan King Crab Legs, when thawed out and cooked to perfection are a surefire aphrodisiac. You want to get your tables to turn over on V-day? One bite of those long, luxurious crab legs and even the most notorious loiterers will be ready for dessert and the check, WINK WINK.



King of the Jungle



There are about 3# of legs per "cluster" meaning one side of the crab's body. Alaskan king crab fishing entails going out in a boat towards the Aleutian Islands in the dead of winter. Sound like fun? An Alaskan king crab fisherman is more than 100 times more likely to die on the job than you are. Although the fishermen may be going extinct, the crabs are not. Alaskan King Crab stocks are healthy and are not being overfished, according to NOAA.

Signs of the Season: Bi-Coastal Halibut
We are seeing some East Coast Halibut trickle into the warehouse, now that the days are getting longer and brighter. Its westerly brethren will be saddling up in our cooler pretty soon as well, so: Yee Haw Cowboy! Wrangle in a wild halibut and say goodbye to all of your sorrows.
Oh yeah, and by the way...

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY YA' SAPS!!!!!

HUBBA HUBBA