Our Crabs

Sustainably sourced from the Chesapeake Bay!

Hard Crabs

Live crabs that are bought and then steamed are superior to purchased cooked crabs for a variety of reasons. First, the simple fact that the crabs are living insures that they are a fresh product. The second reason that our live crabs are superior is because you know where they were caught. The third reason our crabs are superior is because all our crabs are premium quality, chock full of that sweet crab meat you crave. It only takes 23 to 25 minutes to steam them. It is an easy and satisfying experience. Cooked crabs are cooling down and continuing to cook in those ridiculous little boxes during the entire drive home. If you want the best crabs, treat yourself to our live, local, premium crabs!

Hard Crabs

Live crabs that are bought and then steamed are superior to purchased cooked crabs for a variety of reasons. First, the simple fact that the crabs are living insures that they are a fresh product. The second reason that our live crabs are superior is because you know where they were caught. The third reason our crabs are superior is because all our crabs are premium quality, chock full of that sweet crab meat you crave. It only takes 23 to 25 minutes to steam them. It is an easy and satisfying experience. Cooked crabs are cooling down and continuing to cook in those ridiculous little boxes during the entire drive home. If you want the best crabs, treat yourself to our live, local, premium crabs!

Coveside_Logo_Thumbnail_Web

Our Sizing

At Coveside Crabs, we grade crabs into three categories: #1 Males, #2 Males, and #3 Females. The crew of the “Island Girl” culls the crabs before docking to insure that EVERY crab is of PREMIUM quality and meets exact sizing to our highest standards. #1 Males are a minimum of 6 inches and go up in size. The largest crabs are generally the fall crabs, the ones caught after Labor Day. #2 Males are measured between 5 ¼” – 5 7/8”. By Maryland law, we can catch 5” crabs until mid-July. We never keep any crab below 5 ¼”. We leave these in the bay to catch another day. Our #3 crabs are female crabs that are of mixed size, but all meet our premium standard. Here, at Coveside, there is NO difference in QUALITY between #1 and#2 crabs; it is simply a matter of size.

Coveside_Logo_Thumbnail_Web

Our Sizing

At Coveside Crabs, we grade crabs into three categories: #1 Males, #2 Males, and #3 Females. The crew of the “Island Girl” culls the crabs before docking to insure that EVERY crab is of PREMIUM quality and meets exact sizing to our highest standards. #1 Males are a minimum of 6 inches and go up in size. The largest crabs are generally the fall crabs, the ones caught after Labor Day. #2 Males are measured between 5 ¼” – 5 7/8”. By Maryland law, we can catch 5” crabs until mid-July. We never keep any crab below 5 ¼”. We leave these in the bay to catch another day. Our #3 crabs are female crabs that are of mixed size, but all meet our premium standard. Here, at Coveside, there is NO difference in QUALITY between #1 and#2 crabs; it is simply a matter of size.

Soft Crabs

We, as commercial crabbers, harvest the peeler crab and place it in natural water tanks on our dock. Captain Richard handles every crab in each tank daily to determine the level of development through the shedding process. This labor intensive devotion ensures that the peeler and soft-shelled are harvested at the perfect time.

 

At Coveside, we check our “ripe” peeler tanks for soft crabs every 2 hours, 24 hours a day. Soft crabs must be removed from the water within this window to ensure a truly premium product. After this time frame, the crab begins to harden and is called a “paper shell” crab. We offer you our soft shell crabs with great pride that reflects our devotion to the highest quality product. Unlike any other commercial retailer of soft crabs, we invite you into our storage unit to touch (gently, please) our crabs and select the ones that are right for you and your family.

Ready to order? Call us today or drop us a line below!
(410) 477-4709