Blue crabs: a moral question

For a vast number of local (Bawlmer) restaurants, serving dishes made with Chesapeake Bay blue crabs (aka Atlantic Blue Crab) is an institution. During the season, steamed crabs, crabcakes, softshelled crabs and other such goodies are standard fare. During the off-season and during price-spikes, many places either eliminate, temporarily shut down, increase in price, or substitute canned crabmeat. The latter two are most common, and normally, the substitution is still Atlantic Blue crab - although not necessarily from the Chesapeake.

Several months ago one of the most well-known of these crabberies reluctantly went public in admitting that they were using Asian blue crab. They also admitted that they made no note of that on their menu. They blatantly said that they really didn't give a flip about the crab industry in the US - the Asian blue crab meat is cheaper and more consistently available, so that's what they would go with year-round.

I'll never eat there again, but that's just me being a wilted flower child. I just kind of wondered what the consensus of opinion was here on their sort of sneaky approach to this on their menu. Keep in mind that most people (particularly the high tourist trade that they cater to at Harbor Place in Baltimore [hint, hint]) are expecting Atlantic blue crab and aren't receiving it; they are also being charged Atlantic blue crab prices. Am I being anal here?

[shroomgirl]

This came around in Southern Louisiana when Chinese crawfish were being sold (6 years ago) for $2.99 a pound peeled (retail) and locals could not afford to come close to that......I talked to Susan Spicer (Bayonas and Spice Inc) about it....she said she had paid $7.99 # wholesale and was not going to change her practice....it was supporting local crawfishermen.
In a convoluted way an instructor at the mini med school on Infectious Disease put it succently.....they don't have the same rules and overseeing of produce/food products in other countries (ie Morocco in other threads will give you a clue) Our chemical companies have been selling overseas for a long time in huge volume.....you don't know what your getting.the world is global what happens in Japan or China affects us...or South America with our berries....anyone read about the chemical sprays their using in Columbia etc?
Yummy.

[Jim]

MaryO,
More of a question within a question... Given the stagnating population of the Blue Crab in the Chesapeake watershed, does it (maybe) help the crab by purchasing non-domestic crabs for a season or two to allow the population to increase its numbers? Certainly, I don't imply to not make mention of this on a menu, etc. Blatantly misrepresenting your product's origins is a crime punishable by a week in the walk-in freezer, striped naked and covered in water.
Up here in Delaware, we too share the same dilemna of purchasing from domestic crab houses or bringing in, say, Lousiana or over-seas product. Your thoughts?

Jim, I agree 100% (or maybe even 150%) with strengthening the crab population. As much as I love them, and I have them a couple times a month during the season, I'd be willing to support the same conservation methods that were implemented to bring the rockfish population back. I think if we "ground-level" consumers were made to be a bit more conscientious (i.e., take all you want, but EAT ALL YOU TAKE!!) that would be helpful, too. It makes me nuts to see people waste as much as they seem to with crabs. My grand-kids can pick crabs with some of the Eastern Shore's finest, so it ain't that hard, hon!

What I object to in this case, as you point out, is the attitude that this particular restaurant has taken. In not quite so many words, they've said fornicate the Shoremen; they've said as much to their customers by not being clear about where their crab comes from and continuing to charge them Atlantic blue crab prices. By the way, P******'* Crabhouse probably owes a great deal to our little blue friends in terms of their reputation. They have several stalls and a large restaurant in Baltimore's Harbor Place (once again, that's P******'*), so they are kind of making out like fat rats trading on the implied "authenticity" of their crabs.

I tend to get a little agitated about the situation - I spent a lot of summers on the Eastern Shore of Md. as a kid, scooting around in a row-boat exchanging a pile of chicken necks for crabs, toting the cantankerous suckers onto dry land to throw into a steamer and reaping the rewards. The people that do that for a living deserve a great deal more respect than these slime-drivers are offering.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox now . . .

[Jim]

MaryO,
It appears we agree. And I may not be the most popular guy for saying it, but Phillip's is a HUGE player in the crab industry around here and, as such, has a responsibility to act and propegate ethical bussiness savvy in their practice, especially since it involves a disappearing natural resource. That being said, the tourists will still flock to Phillip's. However, as an end-user, I certainly can opt to purchase another brand of crab meat from Sysco. You begin to reduce the demand for a particular product and the manufacturer will get the message.
Besides, why go to Phillip's when Bertha's is just accross the bay in Fell's Point?

[This message has been edited by Jim (edited 11-11-2000).]

Mmmmmm . . . Eat Bertha's Mussels! Plus we have Obrycki's (closed now 'til April when the crabs are back in season)! I actually used to wait tables in Bertha's when they first opened the restaurant - of course I was such a tiny child way back then that I had trouble reaching the tables (a-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha . . . sorry, let me compose myself here) The local restaurant reviewer said that the place looked like it had been decorated by a schizophrenic squirrel.

[Jim]

To me, Bertha's defines American food. It is regional fare, prepared honestly and lacking in all pretention. Everytime I visit the Inner Harbor, a trip to Bertha's is a prerequisite! Mary, Where else do you suggest?

Jim, The Helmand has absolutely magnificent Afghani food and is about as unpretentious as you can get. The portions are not huge, which I really like - you can get one of their appetizers and still finish your entree (oh, their koftas!). A limited but fair wine selection and their desserts are kind of limited, but it's got to be my favorite here! If you're familiar with Bawlmer, it's just north of the Monument on Charles St. Tony Cheng's is right across the street . . . they are excellent as well. G&M Lounge has about the best crabcakes around - no ambience at all and I ignore the side dishes; stick with beer (non-exotics only). They're in Linthicum, not far from BWI. Victor's is at the other end of Lancaster Street from Bertha's, right on the water - terrific cream of crab soup! The Wild Mushroom is east of Bertha's, I think it's on Foster Ave. in Canton . . . they're terrific. There are a number of restaurants in Canton that I haven't been to but are recommended - Nacho Mamma's is supposed to be really good. There's also a Lista's in Fell's Point (on Thames, just west of Leadbetters). I know that they are a chain, but their food is really good there, and they have kick-arse margaritas. If you're planning on romancing someone, go there in the summer when their outdoor dining area is open; maybe if you're lucky, the resident harp-player will be doing his thing out there. Between April and October, you gotta try Obrycki's for crabs! For general grazing, there are the Broadway and Lexington Markets (the latter has been operating since the 1780's), and for more chi-chi noshing, go to Graul's Market or the Sutton Place Gourmet.

Poor old Bawlmer never seems to get a lot of attention in the major food mags, but there are some terrific places to eat here! Baltimore Magazine probably has a website, and they do an annual restaurant issue that I've always found to be pretty accurate.

[Jim]

You're the best! What a great list of joints. I take my cooks on 'tour' every now and then. We'll have to make Bawlmer our next stop. It seems that everytime I make it to the Harbor, I hit Bertha's.
Maybe we should have a ChefTalk 'field trip'! You can be the tour guide... hint, hint.
-Jim

Sounds good to me! To be able to visit some of the various locations that everyone on the boards here live and just graze our way through . . . that would be cool. I'd love a job where I could just eat my way around the world and yack about it. Marye the Food Yenta, that sounds like a good job-title to me.

[Robert Peyton]

Just bumping this (pretty old) thread to ask for further recommendations for dining in Baltimore? Looks like I'll be making a visit in the next week or three, and probably staying overnight; likely downtown.

I'd prefer something regional in focus, and on the "fine dining" end, though regional is more important.

Thanks in advance!