Set the Stage for the Perfect Feast!
Set the Stage for the Perfect Feast!
You may take pride in your blue crab picking prowess, but what about the mess? Getting down and dirty with the feast does have some casualties: anything white, dress ties, oriental rugs; and of course, mom’s new seat covers. Plan ahead for not only a crab with no meat left behind, but also a dining area able to recover from the flinging spices, shells, and paper towels.
You have choices! Talk to your crab eating crew to find out what you want to do. A “wilderness” trip for a picnic feast, converting the backyard into a harvest fest; hanging party lights throughout the porch for a crab house feel; or merrily making that dining room work for a casual mallet swinging event. You’ll find all sorts of venues for the crab feast, just to give you more opportunities to say, “We haven’t done that before!” The more sophisticated the setting, the more “props” needed. In the wilderness, all you need to worry about is your clothing. Wear machine washable outfits and stay away from the “dry cleaning only” garbs. In the backyard, you want handy trash bins to discard the shells, etc. since they’ll attract flies and bees. What an unwelcomed guest! The porch and dining room need some more prep like crab paper for the tables, and dropcloths for the floors. Set it up so you can simply roll it up at the end and find your large garbage bags for a quick disposal. Just remember, part of the fun is making a mess while cracking the claws, swinging the mallets, and dipping in pools of butter. Yes, keep throwing feasts all year to arrive at that moment when you exclaim, “That feast was perfect!”
