This was the question du jour last Saturday night as the Smith and McGough families embarked on their second annual Fisherman’s Club Crab Feed in Lincoln, California.
In our group of 10 (plus baby Will made 11), the majority of the Smith/McGough clan are pilers: carefully selecting the perfect piece to crack open, cultivating the most meat possible, then creating a pile only eaten once it’s big enough for it to be considered a meal.
Unfortunately I was the odd woman out, as I don’t have the devotion to crab or the patience for the piling process. I’m a picker: crack the crab leg, pull out the meat and eat it. Repeat. I must admit, since my husband is a piler, it’s very convenient for me to have an empty plate between picking as I always get sympathy bites from his pile!
Whether you are a picker or a piler, crab feeds are fun way to really get into your food. How many other opportunities do you have to wear a bib and get messy unless you’re under the age of three? And it’s not just about the crab, we enjoyed appetizers, shrimp cocktail, coleslaw and clam chowder. Half the fun is taking part in such an elaborate production in which you must be prepared with wine and wine glasses, butter warmers, special sauces, and crab crackers and pickers. The ill-prepared will still have a good time, but going bare bones once will teach you to build up your crab feed experience with all the trimmings next time!
So whether you’re a picker or a piler, crab lover or just plain crabby, you are sure to enjoy a good time with family or friends at a crab feed.
Archives for February 2008
Super Bowl, Super Food
Ah, the Super Bowl. There are the much-discussed commercials, the irreverent half-time shows and – of course – the game itself. More and more, though, the Super Bowl has become about the food. Let’s be honest: Do we ask ourselves what we’ll do at the Super Bowl party? Nah. The question is always, “What will we eat?”
Some of you might be surprised by this admission, but I throw a Super Bowl party nearly every year. Yes, I know, it’s weirdly true. I have no favorite team; in fact, I don’t really follow football. Truth be told, I’m somewhat perplexed by the reverence most everyone I know shows for the Super Bowl. But, the fact of the matter is I’m married to a guy who’s a huge sports fan and whose birthday almost always lands on Super Bowl Sunday.
This year, my husband celebrated a milestone birthday, so I decided we needed to nice up the noshing a notch (try saying that three times fast!). Enter Chef Jerrad McConnell of Ashley Catering by Mandango’s, who produced the most mouth-watering BBQ menu that presented a little bit of something for everyone:
Honey and Cilantro Slaw
__________
BBQ Pulled Pork
and
Garlic and Rosemary Grilled Sierra Steak
________
Grilled Corn on the Cob with Bacon Butter
Baked Three Beans with Ancho Honey BBQ
Roasted Baby Herbed Yukon Potatoes
Grilled Seasonal Vegetables
_______
Fresh corn muffins
He grilled the perfectly seasoned steaks so that they literally melted in the mouths of the birthday guests, who filed outdoors for seconds. The pulled pork was intensely flavorful and tender, and the corn on the cob – usually a summer treat – was an unexpected winter surprise. Tiny hands from the littlest birthday guests snatched corn muffins from a football-shaped dish, and the ladies in attendance scooped seemingly endless helpings of crisp salad, sweet coleslaw and seasoned grilled veggies.
I’m happy to report that the birthday boy could not have been more delighted – a spectacular game and delicious food – another perfect Super Bowl birthday.