Beautiful Blue Crabs on Georgia's Coast

[coastman]

The crabs this past weekend were fat and sassy. I steamed a bushel of Georgia Blue Crabs and picked out 6 quarts of crab meat. Looks like crab stew, crab cakes, and crab quiche on the menue this winter.

[horsefly]

6 qts out of a bushel?  That would be 12lbs of crabmeat. Average is 10% yield on those crabs which would give 4 lbs on a 40 lb bushel. I have never ever seen 30% yield in all of my crab processing days Please go back and check the measuring device you used  IMHO

BTW, enjoy the crabmeat for allof those tasty items this winter yummo' 

[coastman]

Well, you never have picked out Georgia Blue Crabs. I pick out the crab meat. Nothing is wasted. I even get the meat from the legs. This time of year Georgia Blue Crabs are very large and full. Y'all call the mumbos up there. Here these are just regular blue crabs. Yes, I will do another bushel before Thanksgiving.

[tattoo]

like to see some pictures of them babbies. 

[horsefly]

Picked a bushel of #1's from R&R Seafood last week, still didn't come close to 6 qts. Even the ladies in the picking house have been picking SC/Ga males for the past month didn't yield that much. I am not gonna make this a shouting match, but please understand, I live, breath and work around crabs eveyday. That includes buying and re-selling crabs from SC/Ga (about 300 bu per week,plus our local guys) I just got eating boiled shrimp and handmade crabcakes from that meat. You do it your way, I'll do it mine

[madcrabber1113]

Well, you never have picked out Georgia Blue Crabs. I pick out the crab meat. Nothing is wasted. I even get the meat from the legs. This time of year Georgia Blue Crabs are very large and full. Y'all call the mumbos up there. Here these are just regular blue crabs. Yes, I will do another bushel before Thanksgiving.

Put some pictures on here gotta see these crabs.My brother lives in G.A. in Martin and he has a hard time getting crabs.

[genecrabman]

6 qts out of a bushel?  That would be 12lbs of crabmeat. Average is 10% yield on those crabs which would give 4 lbs on a 40 lb bushel. I have never ever seen 30% yield in all of my crab processing days Please go back and check the measuring device you used  IMHO

BTW, enjoy the crabmeat for allof those tasty items this winter yummo' 

Brian, Don't look at it as 6 quarts, look at it as 1.5 gallons......

[horsefly]

Brian, Don't look at it as 6 quarts, look at it as 1.5 gallons......

I hadn't thought of it that way Gene Still seems to be wee bit much.

[tattoo]

that could be right i picked a bushel last week and it seemed to be about that amount. 

[horsefly]

that could be right i picked a bushel last week and it seemed to be about hat amount. 

1.5 gallons Rich? Hey guys we ain't picking Alaskan King crab here.

[madcrabber1113]

I must suck as a crab picker I get about 2 pounds of meat counting claws in  a half bushel.I usually only buy or catch that many because that is all I need.

[tattoo]

don't know didn't have it in a gal. jug , but the bowl was a big one. 

[horsefly]

Reminds when I used to work at the picking house. Those women would go thru some crabs in one day. Some of the top pickers would make about $80-90 per day picking virtually bone free product. Me I would start the day helping shovel crabs unto the table for them, run a backing machine until about 11:30 take early lunch (this was on days I didn't crab with the family) after lunch meant prepping the boiler, cleaning those 200lb stainless cooking baskets. Then about 1 to 2pm crab trucks would roll in some with 1000lbs others with 20,000 dumped, weighed and cooked all thru the night, into wee hours of the morn (some until the 1st shift women came in) went home slept 3 to 4 hours to do it again, granted all in my younger days.

[coastman]

The crabmeat is in the freezer and the shells have been recycled in the ocean. I have 6 quarts of crabmeat to enjoy. Sorry that your crabs don't turn out like Georgia crabs.

[mreinke]

We lost the best one down here yesterday !!!!!!!!!

[tattoo]

thats a big one. 

[Oscar D]

That does sound like a lot of meat, but ...

I picked up a doz this weekend ($19) they weren't the Jumbos, and I picked them for Crab Cakes, I got about 24 oz including the claws.  I know I got over 16 oz of body meat easy because when I started to make the cakes I still had some body meat and I didn't even start with the claw meat.

[tattoo]

nice.  what time do we eat. 

[horsefly]

That does sound like a lot of meat, but ...

I picked up a doz this weekend ($19) they weren't the Jumbos, and I picked them for Crab Cakes, I got about 24 oz including the claws.  I know I got over 16 oz of body meat easy because when I started to make the cakes I still had some body meat and I didn't even start with the claw meat.

That's about right lb meat to crab ratio. (if ya add the claws to it)= 10% yield. 
You don't use the claws in your cakes? I know, I know, it's dark meat and only the lump should go into a cake. But, I do use it from time to time like that, makes great deviled crabs though. If the claws are large, crack them but leave one pincher attached. You use that one pincher as a handle for cocktail claws. Dip into your favorite butter sauce. I prefer slightly browned butter with garlic (don't over brown the garlic, it gets bitter)Any other recipes you wanna share let me know.

[tattoo]

boy that  sure sounds good to me.