Internet based retailers?

[Rich Z]

Hope this thread isn't going to ruffle any feathers here, but I need to get this off my chest.

A few years ago the wife and I took a trip up the east coast to wind up in upstate Delaware to visit her sister.  Along the way we made a couple of stops that were eye openers because of the unexpected nature of them.  Can't remember the shop, but it was on eastern shore (Blue ...something...), likely still in Virginia, advertising as sort of a touristy seafood paraphernalia shop.  Inside there were notices plastered all over the place about buying local seafood.  Heck, I was thinking it's GREAT that local stuff is being promoted so heavily there.  But the kicker was that most of the hard goods stuff in that shop was imported from China. There were even tins of crabmeat and other seafood that was plainly marked as being imported as well.  Seemed like possibly the people running that shop were insane, but we never saw anyone while we were there.  So we just backed out the door slowly and drive away. Of course, maybe the owners were Chinese, and I just misinterpreted what they were promoting.

During that same trip we stopped in at Crisfield.  Always sort of figured that was the mecca of Chesapeake Bay seafood, so we just HAD to stop in there to eat.  We pulled up to a restaurant in town and while we were being walked to our table I asked the woman showing us to out table if the seafood there was local.  I just wanted to be sure, and this is just a force of habit with me lately.  She kind of gave me a startled look and I thought she was offended that I would even ask her a question like that.  This was Crisfield, after all!  But no, she actually got flustered and stuttered to tell me that the seafood there was all imported.  She further went on to tell me that the ONLY place she knew nearby that did have local seafood was a place called Linton's up the road a bit.  So yeah, I was astonished, to say the least.  Heck, even the water tower there has a big red crab painted on it, yet everone there is importing their seafood? And BTW, the crabs at Linton's were excellent. And they tasted how I remembered Chesapeake Bay crabs tasting. Well except the time I made the mistake of ordering the ALL YOU CAN EAT special there.  I'll never do THAT again.  And I let them know I wasn't happy about that.  They did bring us a batch of the *good* stuff then, but still.....

Anyway, the last few years I have tried to buy local genuine Maryland steamed crabs from a few places advertising such online.  Sometimes I got passable crabs, and sometimes I have gotten crabs that I could say were good, but not great.  And sometimes I have gotten crabs that after trying to eat a few of them, I had to throw them out into the woods for the raccoons to eat.  One batch even the raccoons didn't want to mess with much.  And matter of fact, I have a bushel of crabs right now that are piled up in one of my bamboo groves.  EVERY ONE of those places swears up and down that their crabs come from Maryland waters.  But my taste buds tell me differently.  I think at least some of them are being flown up out of Louisiana. Maybe most of them.  Heck, maybe ALL of them. They can probably get the crabs cheaper from Louisiana than they can buy them locally.  In some cases the crabs were obviously frozen after being steamed.  Heck this last batch (the bamboo compost) had a bunch of the crabs still frozen, some with broken top shells, and a mess of broken off legs and claws.  When I lived in Maryland I would buy crabs that had been frozen before, and I was told they came out of Louisiana. They were OK, but some places I just stopped buying from then.

Anyway, in an earlier batch a year or so ago when that BP oil "spill" was recently capped off, the crabs I bought had a distinctly off odor and taste to them.  Some of the meat at the base of the legs was noticeably stained brown and really didn't even look very appetizing.  I think they had a slight petroleum smell to them, but maybe my imagination was just running away with me.  It was faint, so that has to be just a "maybe" call there.  Seriously, when you REALLY don't look forward to pulling the crabs out of the refrigerator to eat them, something is REALLY wrong.

This last place I got crabs from advertises heavily that they are selling genuine Maryland crabs, but heck, their business address is only a post office box just below the Pennsylvania line along the Susquehanna River.  They ship out of Lancaster, PA, and their website's domain name is registered from an address just below Lancaster. They told me they were catching the crabs around Annapolis when I pressed them for details.  I don't know, the story line they are throwing me just seems unlikely.  Maybe I'm just overly suspicious these days, though.  But I do know those crabs weren't fit to eat.  Besides being mostly floaters, the odor and taste was pretty funky.  I am still negotiating with them now for a refund or replacement of something suitable to eat.

Anyway, what is the scoop with these places?  Are they just lying their asses off, or has the water quality degraded in the Chesapeake Bay so much that the taste of the crabs has just taken a big hit in quality?  I don't really care to eat the crabs too much in this area because the crabs in Florida waters just tend to have a muddy aftertaste to them.  I'll eat them when I get desperate, but my anticipation smelling them cooking always is more than the reality of the tasting. They aren't really bad, but they aren't really ever GREAT, neither. And I seriously don't want to get crabs out of Louisiana at all.  Not for a while yet until that BP [curd] they spilled and dumped gets more dispersed and not likely tainting something I am eating.

Yeah, so I got spoiled growing up eating GOOD steamed crabs when I lived in Maryland.  And of all the things I might miss about moving to Florida, getting REALLY GOOD steamed crabs is right up there at the top of that short list. So I guess I'm looking for an internet retailer that I can trust.  When I request firm heavy males, I don't want floaters. If they don't have it, TELL me, and allow me to wait for what I want.  Don't just grab my money and run, hoping I won't notice.

BTW, does anyone know how much a bushel of medium to large (78 crabs in total) should weigh?

When I spend over $200 to get crabs shipped down to me, I don't want to have to throw them away. I don't want to open the box and lose my appetite from the smell. Heck, I expect a few might be sub-par in every batch, but I don't want a majority of discards.  Seriously, a couple of bites of a bad crab and I'm done for the day.  Appetite is just gone, and it will take me till tomorrow to be ready to try again. And I've had this happen far more times than I am happy about trying to order crabs online.  Quite honestly, I just get tired of bitching about it to the people selling this junk, too.  I'll pay what I need to pay to get what I want.  But when I pay the money, I just darn side want to GET what I paid for.  Does this just sound unreasonable?  Am I holding these people to standards that are just too high?

Anyway, just wanted to get this off of my chest.  And looking for some recommendations to help cure this craving for GREAT steamed blue crabs that is getting out of control.  I still have an image of that Faidley's crabcake that another thread here led me to earlier.  I'm thinking I'm going to have to give them a call this week.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

[fishingtom]

Find a local crabber and cook your own live ones Maryland style.  I am sure there are commercial crabbers in Florida somewhere.  Use cider vinegar and a ton of Jo2 and with live crabs you will get what you're paying for.  People always were and will be out to make easy money and the internet really makes that easy.  The Crabs may not be exactly the same but I bet it would be hard to tell the difference...   Tom

[rapp414]

You think you're aggravated,how do you think the Md Commercial crabbers feel ? They ARE catching genuine Md crabs,yet they're being hammered in price due to all of these imported crabs,some that are falsely advertised as "Genuine".I doubt anyone on here would be offended,if anything most on here I'm sure agree with you and are eqully pissed off.Like Tom told you,find a local waterman,get your crabs from him,there's plenty on this site.

[Rich Z]

Find a local crabber and cook your own live ones Maryland style.  I am sure there are commercial crabbers in Florida somewhere.  Use cider vinegar and a ton of Jo2 and with live crabs you will get what you're paying for.  People always were and will be out to make easy money and the internet really makes that easy.  The Crabs may not be exactly the same but I bet it would be hard to tell the difference...   Tom

Tried that.  There is a local seafood market nearby that sells locally caught stuff.  My wife worked there part time for several years and knows first hand that the crabs and other seafood are legit.  We've steamed them up ourselves, but they just do not taste the same as crabs from the Chesapeake Bay.  I can tell the difference. Of that there is absolutely NO doubt in my mind.  And BTW, I grew up on Old Bay seasoning and haven't found any reason to change.  Some vinegar and salt added the water being turned to steam and cook them up.  Nothing is a variable except the actual crabs themselves.  The meat DOES taste differently based on the locality they come out of.

[fishingtom]

Tried that.  There is a local seafood market nearby that sells locally caught stuff.  My wife worked there part time for several years and knows first hand that the crabs and other seafood are legit.  We've steamed them up ourselves, but they just do not taste the same as crabs from the Chesapeake Bay.  I can tell the difference. Of that there is absolutely NO doubt in my mind.  And BTW, I grew up on Old Bay seasoning and haven't found any reason to change.  Some vinegar and salt added the water being turned to steam and cook them up.  Nothing is a variable except the actual crabs themselves.  The meat DOES taste differently based on the locality they come out of.

No doubt about the different tastes.  The crabs here have a different flavor depending on what part of the bay they are from.  That being said you CAN steam a nice batch of crabs in Florida.  I grew up on old bay too.  It is great for crabcakes and to use as a seasoning but jo2 has really become my choice of seasoning for steamed crabs.  Sacrilege I know but I think it is overtaking Old Bay as the spice to use on crabs here... I don't know of any local rest. that doesn't use it.   jmo   Tom

[Rich Z]

You think you're aggravated,how do you think the Md Commercial crabbers feel ? They ARE catching genuine Md crabs,yet they're being hammered in price due to all of these imported crabs,some that are falsely advertised as "Genuine".I doubt anyone on here would be offended,if anything most on here I'm sure agree with you and are eqully pissed off.Like Tom told you,find a local waterman,get your crabs from him,there's plenty on this site.

So shouldn't those scammers just be outed?  They are blatantly engaging in false advertising.  When I lived in Maryland I never in my life had to throw out an entire bushel of crabs I bought steamed.  I've never had to throw away more than maybe one or two in a dozen.  Doesn't Maryland have any control over companies using it's commercial mark fraudulently?  I'm beginning to feel like a Jonah verbally beating up on these companies when they send me garbage thinking I won't know any better.  So I guess I'm hoping that the people HERE will help promote the real good guys.  If you know who is the real deal, then I think their horn should be trumpeted to try to drown out the false advertising song and dance the others are doing.  Otherwise, quite honestly, the product "Maryland Steamed Crabs" isn't really going to mean something positive to a lot of people when that label is put on falsely labelled imported garbage.

How many people do you think have bought some trash crabs, ate them, and then thought, "Heck what was all the excitement about?  They didn't taste all that good, and I spent the next three days sitting on the toilet as a result.  Never again."  Personally I'm thinking my ordering steamed crabs from places advertising Maryland steamed crabs may be over with.  I'm tired of fighting with people just trying to get what I really paid for.

[rapp414]

So shouldn't those scammers just be outed?  They are blatantly engaging in false advertising.  When I lived in Maryland I never in my life had to throw out an entire bushel of crabs I bought steamed.  I've never had to throw away more than maybe one or two in a dozen.  Doesn't Maryland have any control over companies using it's commercial mark fraudulently?  I'm beginning to feel like a Jonah verbally beating up on these companies when they send me garbage thinking I won't know any better.  So I guess I'm hoping that the people HERE will help promote the real good guys.  If you know who is the real deal, then I think their horn should be trumpeted to try to drown out the false advertising song and dance the others are doing.  Otherwise, quite honestly, the product "Maryland Steamed Crabs" isn't really going to mean something positive to a lot of people when that label is put on falsely labelled imported garbage.

How many people do you think have bought some trash crabs, ate them, and then thought, "Heck what was all the excitement about?  They didn't taste all that good, and I spent the next three days sitting on the toilet as a result.  Never again."  Personally I'm thinking my ordering steamed crabs from places advertising Maryland steamed crabs may be over with.  I'm tired of fighting with people just trying to get what I really paid for.

Rich,I agree with you 100%,but the bottom line is that they probably don't have the resources to enforce it just like so many other injustices.I was a barber most of my life,the inspectors rarely came around.We reported people working out of their houses,hurting our business,no one even followed up.I had a problem with an undertaker,I reported him for VERY serious offenses ,it ended up a complete waste of time.I'm sure other could share stories,its a sad reality,try not to let it bother you and try to do your homework before shelling out your hard earned $$.Plenty of good folks on here to buy crabs from.

[genecrabman]

This isn't something thats just started...My Dad hauled crabs out of North Carolina in the 50's to  his Dad's Picking House in Hoopersville Md...Those Crabs were culled and graded out and then the Jimmies were shipped to Baltimore...If Maryland depended on local caught crabs, many people would go hungry for most of the year...
"Maryland Crabs" is the best Advertised misconception ever invented....Just as the "True Blue" Label is now...The Chefs and people eatting the "Local Packaged" Crabmeat don't have a clue as to where the crabs came from that the meat was extracted....Just my .02...

[Crabpot Man]

This isn't something thats just started...My Dad hauled crabs out of North Carolina in the 50's to  his Dad's Picking House in Hoopersville Md...Those Crabs were culled and graded out and then the Jimmies were shipped to Baltimore...If Maryland depended on local caught crabs, many people would go hungry for most of the year...
"Maryland Crabs" is the best Advertised misconception ever invented....Just as the "True Blue" Label is now...The Chefs and people eatting the "Local Packaged" Crabmeat don't have a clue as to where the crabs came from that the meat was extracted....Just my .02...

In order to obtain True Blue certification, at least 75% of crab product used annually in a participating food
service establishment must be harvested and/or processed in the state of Maryland.

http://www.marylandseafood.org/true_blue.html

[genecrabman]

http://www.marylandseafood.org/true_blue.html

That "Processed" is a slippery slope.....Crabs from Texas can be picked in Md. and put into "True Blue" Certified containers...And people think it's Maryland Meat...Hope that makes people feel warm and fuzzy...

[jefftoleft]

I don't know if you have ever tryed this place or are even close enough to it to give it a try but have heard a lot of good reports about the food it maybe worth a try  https://www.facebook.com/MS.ApplesCrabSack  If you go to the restaurant section here on BCA and go to page 2 there is a thread about it good luck.   

[Rich Z]

I don't know if you have ever tryed this place or are even close enough to it to give it a try but have heard a lot of good reports about the food it maybe worth a try  https://www.facebook.com/MS.ApplesCrabSack  If you go to the restaurant section here on BCA and go to page 2 there is a thread about it good luck.  

Arrghh, they are a good 5 hour drive from me.

But I did see an interesting statement on that page:

A half bushel of Standard or Medium live wild blue crabs (20lbs.)

The last place that sent me steamed crabs (Maryland Blue Crab Express) sent me a bushel of the mediums to large crabs.  Nearly all floaters.  Just for giggles, I weighed the box and packing materials after the crabs were put into the refrigerator.  That came to 21 lbs.  The FedEx airbill stated the package weighed 41 lbs.  So that bushel of crabs only weighed 20 lbs.  I'm surprised the crabs didn't float out of the box when it was opened up.

So here's where they wound up at:

[Mr. Breeze]

Rich, Here is a link to the profile of a member of this board.  He is a commercial crabber that is very local (I think) to you.  Best I can tell, Crawfordville and St. Marks are very close.  I'm sure if you talk to him and explain your dilemma, he will probably help you out.
http://www.bluecrab.info/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=4457

[Rich Z]

Rich, Here is a link to the profile of a member of this board.  He is a commercial crabber that is very local (I think) to you.  Best I can tell, Crawfordville and St. Marks are very close.  I'm sure if you talk to him and explain your dilemma, he will probably help you out.
http://www.bluecrab.info/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=4457

Thanks, but I can normally find local crabs here in north Florida.  That isn't the issue......

That being said, I have heard that the local population of crabs is not what it used to be before the BP oil spill.  No matter what you read in the newspapers, it DID have an impact on local seafood.  When I learned of the oil spill, I filled the freezer up with shrimp and stopped buying anything coming out of the Gulf to eat.

What I am looking for is someone selling steamed blue crabs genuinely out of the mid to lower Chesapeake Bay, and not importing them from Louisiana or whatever and simply CALLING them "Maryland" crabs.  In other words, I just don't want to give my money to liars.

I would try ordering live, but I don't think they would fare well on the overnight trip down here.  And this has been enough of a headache as it is.

[ralphrepo]

Thanks, but I can normally find local crabs here in north Florida.  That isn't the issue......

That being said, I have heard that the local population of crabs is not what it used to be before the BP oil spill.  No matter what you read in the newspapers, it DID have an impact on local seafood.  When I learned of the oil spill, I filled the freezer up with shrimp and stopped buying anything coming out of the Gulf to eat.

What I am looking for is someone selling steamed blue crabs genuinely out of the mid to lower Chesapeake Bay, and not importing them from Louisiana or whatever and simply CALLING them "Maryland" crabs.  In other words, I just don't want to give my money to liars.

I would try ordering live, but I don't think they would fare well on the overnight trip down here.  And this has been enough of a headache as it is.

Read your lament and even as I'm a brand new recreational crabber, I can certainly feel your angst. I don't have any solutions for your problem but just wanted to chime in with a lifetime of observations vis a vis the food market. One of the undeniable things about food sellers is that their primary motivation is to make money; along the way sellers can be pretty darn unscrupulous. Case in point, reports in the news acknowledge wide spread deception in the American seafood market, where an estimated third of ALL seafood sold in the US is purposely mislabeled

Source: http://www.ift.org/food-technology/daily-news/2013/february/26/oceana-finds-widespread-mislabeling-of-us-seafood.aspx

This happens more so when the price differential of the real product reaches an all time high in comparison with ersatz lookalikes; the higher the price of the original, the better the chance that someone will attempt to clandestinely substitute a similar but inferiorly priced item. A marked example of this is the attempt by some east coast retailers to sell live Jonah Crabs as west coast Dungeness, which are generally marked up tremendously on the east coast because of the cost requirements of live shipping. Priced per pound wholesale at a 'record' two and change out west, Dungeness retails in New York City around twelve dollars per pound. One doesn't need to be Einstein to do this math; there's tremendous incentive to cheat, especially if no one's looking and not enough public have the scientific knowledge to even know what they're looking at. Moreover, even if one can "CSI" a crab, that is, using DNA and other analysis to determine subtle variations in regional origins; but at what cost? Thus, the way things are, there can be no real workable solution to catching these less than honest retailers. All said, it's a sad commentary about the state of American retail performance.

My suggestion is that the only way one can ensure that the product one gets is the legitimate item, one needs to have a personal agent (by employment or by blood) in situ whose primary motivation aligns with one's own best interests. Even as it remains elusive in the cut throat market, I nonetheless wish you luck with your search for genuine quality.

[jefftoleft]

Wow is that bamboo where those crabs are dumped? If so it is huge how old is it?   

[Seanile]

Wow is that bamboo where those crabs are dumped? If so it is huge how old is it?   

Yeah, inquiring minds want to know.   

[rapp414]

I truly hope you get these VERY important issue with these crabs settled so you can find some type of peace in your life.It may be time to take a look at whats really important in life,like your health and the health of your family.In some ways I can see you being upset,but in the grand scheme of things,is any of this worth getting upset about ? Maybe a trip to a Cancer ward in a hospital or a psyche unit somewhere would put things in perspective for you.After rereading this thread I think you've either lived a pretty charmed life or have some pretty poor opinions on whats really important in life.

[crabbywaters]

Wow is that bamboo where those crabs are dumped? If so it is huge how old is it?   

Seriously! I thought I knew of a patch of bamboo. The spot in de I know about doesn't hold a candle to that. Sorry, continue on guys

[rapp414]

Seriously! I thought I knew of a patch of bamboo. The spot in de I know about doesn't hold a candle to that. Sorry, continue on guys

I thought that pic was from Gilligans island,personally I'd have eaten the crabs,why let them go to waste