Crab Mustard or Hepatopancreas

[crabsforlife]

I have a question about the mustard.  I caught and cooked some crabs this weekend and some of the crabs mustard after cooking was very wet and appeared to be oily.  Has anyone ever experienced this and do you know if this is a sign that is more contaminated than a crab with solid mustard?  The meat that touched the mustard had a very odd flavor.

By the way, the crabs were solid and packed with meat.

I will try to post a picture of this tomorrow.

[crabsforlife]

Here is a pic of the crabs caught.

[crabbywaters]

Where did you catch them?

[crabsforlife]

Bay side of Fort Smallwood

[tattoo]

Nice crabs

[crabsforlife]

They were actually really nice heavy crabs, but they do not taste nearly as good as Severn or Thompson Creek crabs.

[tattoo]

funny thing how the places where they come from they taste different . I like WYE crabs the best

[Joe Crabs]

funny thing how the places where they come from they taste different . I like WYE crabs the best

It's called pollution: PCB's, Mercury, Sewage, pesticides, etc. take your pick...

[crabbywaters]

They were actually really nice heavy crabs, but they do not taste nearly as good as Severn or Thompson Creek crabs.

Not sure. Crabs from different places do taste different. The crabs in the coastal bays taste nasty to me.

[Harford Crabber]

Agreed that crabs from different places taste different. saltier water, saltier crabs..   
But, crabs from the same place also can taste different. 
I think it all depends on what they're feeding on. after all, we are what we eat!


But even though lots of things (alligator, some snake, etc) taste like chicken, I've never had a crab that taste like chicken.
 

[crab#24]

Years ago I crabbed by the francis scott key bridge, on the beth steel side. . The mustard was a light green color. They claim those waters are clean but I know better. PCB's,steel making by products,asbestos. This was back in the nineties when the plant was still running. I worked there as an electrician for years. I stay away from the patapsco

[baydog]

People think that I am nuts when I say that Md crabs taste different than DE crabs.  A few years ago I called DNREC and questioned them regarding the consumption of crabs and potential pollutants; there are limitations/guidelines for the consumption of fin fish, but not crabs.  The answer I was given was that the lifespan of a crab is not long enough for them to be contaminated......

[R@ndy]

Congrats, Awesome looking crabs

Yea I think it has a lot to do with what they are feeding on, the greenish mustard does have a strange fishy kinda taste..I get some of those and I crab several different locations on the Bay. I also believe they pick up a lot of contaminates as well, I figure that's why Marylanders have one of the highest cancer rates.  As sought after as the Chesapeake Bay crabs are would be my guess as to why there is no warnings on how many one should eat......

But boy do I love me some of that light yellow pasty baby poo looking mustard, mad that's good lol, lol

[crab#24]

Roger that, the ones I caught at Kent Narrows Friday had handfuls of that baby poop

[wuzfuzde]

Wait don't  eat those crabs definitely  not healthy ..pack them all up and I'll be up to take them and destroy them ..Don't thank me it's what i do…it's a well know secret old bay will neutralizer such thing's

[saltysenior]

  to prevent the undesirable '' Lose Mustard " in your crabs , I always used to put 1 Laperamide tablet in the steaming mix ..


      But a simpler solution is to  C B C.

[VinCan]

A comment on coastal bay crabs...yep, some taste nasty, especially if you catch them feeding at the outlet of the water treatment plants....just look for all the crab pots... ;-)...

Mustard and MD's take on consumption: taken from here -

http://www.mde.state.md.us/programs/marylander/citizensinfocenterhome/pages/citizensinfocenter/fishandshellfish/index.aspx

Crab Monitoring
Between 2001-2003 blue crabs were sampled in the following locations throughout Maryland:
Chesapeake Bay:
 
- off Hart-Miller Island
- mouth of Fairlee Creek
- near Sandy Point
- off Tilghman Point
- off Fairhaven
- between Cedar & Cove Points
- off Point No Point
Gunpowder River
Patapsco River/Baltimore Harbor
Potomac River

Crabmeat and hepatopancreas (also known as “mustard” or green gland) were analyzed separately. While crabmeat was low in contaminants, the “mustard” contained elevated levels of PCBs and other contaminants in the following locations:
Cedar Point,
Fairlee Creek,
Hart-Miller Island,
Middle River, and
Patapsco River/Baltimore Harbor.

Specific recommendations for crab “mustard” have not been developed for all locations, however in general, it is advised that the crab “mustard” from crabs taken from the Northern Chesapeake Bay (above Magothy River) should be consumed in moderation, while “mustard” from the above locations should be eaten sparingly and avoided for the crabs from the Patapsco River/Baltimore Harbor.

[VinCan]

  to prevent the undesirable '' Lose Mustard " in your crabs , I always used to put 1 Laperamide tablet in the steaming mix ..


      But a simpler solution is to  C B C.

Yea, I CBC too, but the imodium should thicken things up eh....

[crab#24]

I knew I shouldn't have been slurping that mustard! That's probably why I have issues

[JIMMYMAMBO]

I feel like the mustard of the crabs has been slightly different in each location I've caught them in. Maybe it's the salinity or something.