We got crabs.

On a job in rural Virginia with Lorin Maazel. Sometimes we need to escape the farm, and what better way to do this than to get us some crabs. Not necessarily the kind your health care professional thinks about but the tasty critters from the sea.

Being so close to Maryland the home of crab cakes, it's only natural to find the critters not only in cake form but in the natural steamed state. As in still within the shell and the guts there enclosed. These little guys, Blue Crabs by the common name, are plentiful around here as well as in the gulf of Mexico. And while they are fun to play with ala puppeteering post steam, they are equally exciting to eat.

The night we went to Blue Ridge Seafood outside Gainesville, VA several of us opted for the steamed crabs by the dozen. Saturated in Old Bay seasoning, clarified butter on the side. Then you get into the cleaning, or the "picking" as some define it. You pull off the male defining appendage with the assistance of a knife, then separate the top shell from the bottom meat and cartilage. Scoop out the guts and pick out the lungs which look like pointy sponges then you're left with two sides of body cartilage and legs, and the meat there in. Then get it out using any means you like. My favorite trick on the legs is rolling the cracker from small end to big like a steam roller to get out all the yummy crabby leg-ness. It will be messy, you will get butter all over your clothes, you will be dirty when you are finished. But you will be full and have eaten with such purpose and accomplishment, the satisfaction will be two-fold.

We also had a kickin' Lobster Bisque. In reality (or maybe my false reality) I could have eaten a gallon of that concoction. You definitely have to try it.