Blue Crabs are Delicious and, Consequently, Stupid Expensive

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

Crabs are horrifying little creatures—all covered in spikes and pincers, permanent scowl etched into their horrible, armored faces. They’re devilish looking beings, prone to striking intimidating poses when facing a human ten times its size. They’re also delicious. So to put them in their place, us humans have a summer tradition of tearing them open and chowing down on their tender white flesh, laughing the day away about how dumb crabs are.

It’s a superiority thing, which makes crab picking all the more appropriate for the Fourth of July, a holiday where Americans get together and toot our own horn–not that we don’t do that pretty much every other day of the year. But crabs, being the smug little brats that they are, are having one last revenge on us humans before we steam them alive and smash them with hammers: good lord are they expensive or what?

A bushel of Chesapeake Bay blue crabs are crazy expensive! The average price for a bushel of medium Jimmy crabs this time of year is over $200. Usually these kinds of prices would indicate a shortage of crabs—either brought on by a cold weather or over-crabbing—but, according to The Baltimore Sun, this year’s crab crop is the highest the area has seen since the late 90’s.

All together, now: BOOOOOOOOOO!

The reason for the jacked up prices is, well, everyone wants crabs this weekend. The article says that Maryland crab vendors ran dry on Memorial Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and expect the same this weekend. Lord knows that D.C. had a demand for crabs on Memorial Day—after waiting in a cook line at for nearly an hour at the Maine Avenue Fish Market, this blogger paid over $100 for half a bushel a medium and small crabs. Life is not fair, I tell you.

We’ve poked around a bit at some of Northern Virginia’s crab providers to see what you can expect to pay this weekend for a bushel of crabs (all crab counts are a rough estimate, prices may change as vendors see fit).

Get ready to get sad.

Captain Pell’s Fairfax Crabhouse

10195 Fairfax Blvd., Fairfax, Va; 703-560-0060

$225 – Medium/Large Jimmies (5 dozen)

$160 – Medium Jimmies (6 Dozen)

Blue Ridge Seafood & Crab

15704 Lee Hwy, Gainesville, Va; 703-754-9852

$199 – Medium Jimmies (6 Dozen)

$129 – Small Jimmies (7 Dozen)

Crosby’s Crab Co.

14718 Bristow Road, Manassas, VA; (703) 791-5804

$220 – Medium/Large Jimmies (7 to 8 Dozen)

$150 – Mixed Lighter Jimmies (8 to 10 dozen)

$150 – Females (Closer to 10 Dozen)

- Kris King

Tags: 4th of july, bushels, crab revenge, crabs, expensive things, Gut Check, money, northern virginia blue crabs, seafood, tears