Taste Test (Wednesday): Maryland Crabs

Last weekend I went to visit my boyfriend in Baltimore, which will henceforth be known as the surface of the sun. It was literally over 100 degrees every day I was there. But Saturday night we managed to escape the heat with a trip to Captain James Crab House for a dozen steamed Maryland crabs, a bowl of coleslaw, a basket of hush puppies and two swiftly melting ice waters.

It was my first experience eating whole crabs, and let me tell you, it was not a pretty sight. At first the hammer was a bit unwieldy, but I eventually got the hang of it and only mashed my thumbs once or twice. A barbaric, labor-intensive project, cracking open the crabs was a struggle, but oh-so worth it when i finally got to the meat inside.

Readers, have you eaten crab before? What's your favorite summer dish?