Crab Guy blogs about Maryland blue crabs, the Chesapeake Bay, and all things seafood.

If you want to have a turkey free Thanksgiving, try crab! Turkey really only gained popularity as the main dish of Thanksgiving in the late 1850’s. Many families use several different alternatives, such as duck, goose, and crustaceans (lobster for Thanksgiving? Not a bad idea.). While seafood may be less traditional Thanksgiving fare, it certainly is in season. Clams, oysters, scallops, fish, and lobster also make great additions to any meal, especially during the holidays.

Historically crab season starts around November 15th. This is perfect because it is right before Thanksgiving and crabs always make a big splash at family functions and parties. Crab is a great alternative to turkey for Thanksgiving and makes for a fun meal, full of enjoyment for the whole family. Many people already celebrate their Thanksgiving tradition with crab instead of turkey or other dishes.

If you don’t want to stray away from the traditional Thanksgiving feast that you and your family are already accustomed to, try serving a side dish such as crab cakes as an appetizer. Those that don’t like crab, well they don’t have to eat them. There is a plethora of ways that crab can be prepared, and crab cakes are just the beginning.

Crab makes for a healthy, delicious alternative to other Thanksgiving favorites. Crab’s mildly sweet, tender meat excites almost everyone’s taste buds and is extremely versatile in preparation. From steamed crab with old bay seasoning to crab salad, crab soup, and crab spreads the options are limitless.

If you still want stick with turkey during the holidays for the main course, you could spice up your dressings by trying this delicious recipe for crab stuffing. But if you are wary of switching up your traditional Thanksgiving turkey for crab, don’t worry, there is still hope. If you are tired of your regular Turkey Day recipe you could opt for making a delectable smoked Thanksgiving turkey to spice things up a little.

The Chesapeake Bay, in Maryland, is where it all began. “Chesapeake” is a Susquehanock word meaning “great shellfish bay.” For centuries many people have enjoyed the bounty of blue crab, along with other delicious forms of seafood, found in the Bay.

Native Americans were the first to discover the bounty provided by the blue crab crustaceans in the great bay. Several European settlers stake claim to first discovering this place to catch crab. But, undoubtedly native people led European settlers to this fine place for hunting, fishing and crabbing.

Maryland Blue crabs have been caught and harvested commercially in the Chesapeake Bay area since the mid 1800s. Now, these crabs are harvested from the mid-Atlantic region (from New York to North Carolina) to Florida and several of the Gulf states, all the way to Texas. Pre-settlement blue crabs were harvested for subsistence living. There is evidence suggesting that Native Americans used spears to catch crabs in shallow water and that they may have fashioned simple traps to gig crab. During colonial times, many people survived based solely on their ability to catch crab in this region. Records show, as early as 1850, a market for soft-shelled blue crabs on the Eastern Coast of America.

Significant level of consumption fueled the demand for blue crabs in the mid-1800s. The first toothless dredge for harvesting soft-shelled crabs was patented in 1870. During this period, fishermen began using nets to harvest hard-shelled blue crab as well. In the 1870s the evolution of a commercial crabbing industry began to emerge. Railroads permitted rapid shipping of blue crab away from the coast, canning of crabmeat began and wooden boats began replacing fishing lines with scoop nets as means to catch crab. Trotlines were also developed around this time; a long line anchored at both ends with shorter lines, baited to catch crab. Trotlines remained the standard harvesting method through the 1950s and the first crab trap was patented as early as 1926.

The crabbing industry has changed as populations have changed and as the need to be more productive and efficient has risen. For crab fishermen, also known as “watermen,” the benefits of crab harvesting must always be balanced with the need to sustain the dwindling crab population, especially in the Chesapeake Bay region.

Crab harvesting has long been a part of Maryland, Chesapeake Bay and human culture. Harvesting crabs, oysters and fish supports life in the waterfront communities of the Eastern Coast shore. Many people living in these communities could tell you what time of day it is just by the coming and going of the boats in the harbor. This way of life is changing, and in many ways slipping away, due to modern conventions and the evolving bay. Yet the Chesapeake Bay in Crisfield, Maryland, where it all began, is still known as the crab capital of the world.