Although blue crabs are harvested as far north as Cape Cod, as far south as Uruguay and in such exotic places as the lakes of the Nile Delta in Africa, they thrive in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The bay's varying salinity levels and the shallowness of the water are two reasons for the large summer harvests that contribute to a prosperous state crabbing industry. Blues served up in local restaurants also come from other waters, including North Carolina, Louisiana and Texas. But it's not where they were caught; it's the method of steaming and seasoning that makes these hard-shelled crustaceans so popular.
For the uninitiated, the ritual of eating steamed crabs can come as a bit of a shock. The table is usually covered with brown butcher paper, and the critters are either delivered on a tray or unceremoniously piled right on top of the paper. Mallets, picks, bibs, stacks of paper towels and buckets (for the cast-off shells) all are supplied. The seasoning of choice is Old Bay, a piquant blend of 18 different herbs and spices that has been manufactured in Baltimore for more than 75 years.
There's no delicate way to go about cracking a crab open to remove the succulent meat; it's a gloriously messy dining experience. If you've never done it before, fear not; at some Baltimore crab houses the servers will pull on a pair of gloves and cheerfully walk you through the process.
For those who consider bludgeoning a whole crab with a mallet and rooting around bits of shell and claw with their fingers a bit on the barbaric side, there are other ways to enjoy blues. Maryland crab soup is loaded with crab meat and vegetables. Cream of crab soup is traditionally prepared with a shot of sherry to lighten the cream. Crab dip makes a tasty appetizer. And crab cakes rival steamed crabs in popularity. Side dishes are definitely supporting players, but you can usually count on crispy french fries, coleslaw and onion rings.
Baltimore's many crab houses each have their passionate supporters, and picking the best one is a subject of intense debate. Baltimoreans often take out-of-town guests to the Rusty Scupper, a well-known institution on the Inner Harbor. And many locals and travel sites will tell you that Baltimore's best crab cake is the jumbo lump version at Faidley's Seafood in the venerable Lexington Market, which was founded in 1782. About the size of a baseball, each cake is made to order, deep fried to a golden brown, and worth every penny.