Mothership Meanderings:Rude Awakening

February-March 2002

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
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by Laurie MacBride

Laurie kindly consented to write my column for this issue, focusing on one of the highlights of our summer trips, the chance to catch a few crabs to supplement our shipboard stores.

Alan with our cumbersome trap. Photo: Laurie MacBride

We enjoy Red Crab ( Cancer productus), also known as 'red rockcrab', and Dungeness Crab ( Cancer magister), but we're always happier when we catch Dungeness as it's larger and its shell is much easier to crack open. Red Rockcrabs tend to be found along rocky shores while Dungeness favour sandy bottoms such as those around estuaries.

Eelgrass beds are usually a good bet for catching crabs, and we aim for about 25 to 35 feet of depth. Since Dungeness crabs bury themselves in the sand during the day, with just their eyes protruding, the best time to catch them is at night. In any event, you'll want your crab trap to be down for at least one tide change, so setting it before dusk and leaving it overnight is the usual practice. If you set your trap at low tide, be sure to leave enough extra line to ensure that it's not lifted off the bottom at high tide.

You can use any variety of bait, so long as it has a strong enough odor to attract the crabs. One boater we know uses partially crushed clams (which makes sense, since Dungeness crabs regularly prey on clams). When I was younger, we always used fisheads and tails from our catch. But now, since we seldom fish-and often get skunked when we do-our tried-and-true method is a can of sardines, with a few small holes punched in the top to allow the odor and juices to flow out. It gets them every time.

Whatever bait you use, be sure to fasten it down tightly, or it will be devoured by the first creature that stumbles across your trap and your catch will be minimal or nonexistent. If you're using fish heads or guts, put them into a tightly sealed yogurt tub and cut a criss-cross hole in the lid to allow the smell to get out. We've learned that crabs and starfish are dexterous-they can pry the top right off a sardine can by pulling on the circular tab. To foil them we now run wire around the can to keep the tab fastened down, and find that we can use each can for at least two nights' crabbing.

Pacific Dungeoness crab.	Red Rockcrab

Be sure to respect the limits on crab size, and harvest only males.© BC Tidal Waters Sport Fisihing Guide, Fisheries and Oceans

When we haul up the trap, we sometime find an assortment of critters. One time we didn't get any crabs, but found a good-sized sole that I filleted up for dinner. Sometimes, though, it's more disappointing-like when the huge body of a sunflower star fills the trap. In this case we prefer to be in the dinghy to haul the trap rather than a kayak, since we need the extra stability and twoperson maneuvering to haul up this heavy critter. Often enough, though, we're delighted to find several crabs.

Male's (top) have a narrower center strip on their undersides

Now the fun begins.We secure the dinghy or kayaks, climb aboard our fishboat, pull the trap into the cockpit, survey our catch, and feel our adrenaline rise as we ponder how to deal with these scuttling, pincer-laden beasts. We gather the necessary tools-heavy leather gloves, ruler, chopping board and cleaver. We hold the ruler against the side of the trap to see which ones look like keepers. We ponder some more until we finally can't put it off any longer.

With gloves on, Alan opens the trap and turns it upside down to shake out the crabs. Immediately some start scuttling away, and we must grab them by the hind end-keeping out of reach of those pincers-and flip them onto their backs (temporarily immobilizing them) to check their sex [see photo's left]. We quickly toss the female ones overboard, followed by any undersized males. What's left will be our dinner, and the challenge is to get them onto the chopping board and keep them on their backs long enough to bring the cleaver cleanly down through their middle

Many people prefer to put the live crabs into a pot of boiling water, but we quasivegetarians prefer to kill them in one swift stroke. Besides, this method allows us to use a much smaller cooking pot, which is handy when storage space and fresh water are at a premium.

Cut in half, they're easy to clean in salt water: the entrails and carapace come away very nicely and you're left with the tasty legs, pincers and body meat, ready to cook.

One thing to note, though: in BC the regulations require that you keep the carapace until the crab is consumed so that a fisheries officer can check that it was of legal size. Killing them the way we do means the carapace is in two parts and comes off the body when you clean it, so we hang onto these sections until we've eaten the crab, in case we're inspected.

Right after cleaning, we boil the crab for 10 minutes in fresh water (you could use salt water if necessary), then store it in a cool place (our icebox, but the bottom of a kayak would do) until we're ready to eat it. Our favorite way to eat crab is with a bit of melted butter for dipping (with a hint of fresh garlic), along with some warm bannock and whatever acceptable saladlike vegetable we still have at that point in our voyage.

BANNOCK

The Jolly Good trap is sized just right for paddlers. Dimensions: 30x40cm. Made of 5/16" solid stainless steel with life time waranty. Retail: $49.99 Cdn. Buoy package (bait bag, buoy, 60 ft. of line ): $14.99. Contact Ray Surette, Ladysmith BC: 250-245-7407.

Bannock is easy, no matter what your cooking equipment. The recipe we use is from James Barber's Quick & Simple. It requires just one bowl, and the ingredients don't need to be precisely measured. Mix 2 cups of flour (I use a combination of whole wheat and unbleached), 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 3 tablespoons of oil, a pinch of salt, and enough water, milk or beer to make a "stiffish" dough (I use water, usually less than a cup). Mix it up, pat it to about a half-inch thickness, then cook. If you have an oven, you can bake it (medium heat). Otherwise, put a little bit of oil in a heavy frypan and cook, covered, over a low to medium heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, turning once to avoid burning. You can even barbecue bannock, though we haven't tried that.

CRAB WRAPS

When we're lucky enough to have leftover crab as well as fresh greens, one of our favorite meals is crab wraps. For these, cook up some rice and get the cooked crab meat ready by extracting it from the shell and breaking it into small pieces. Sauté a bit of chopped onion till soft, add chopped spinach or kale, some fresh cilantro if you have some, a small amount of coconut milk, and a quarter teaspoon or so of green curry paste (watch it, that stuff is hot!). When the vegetables are soft, mix in the cooked rice and crab, adding a bit more coconut milk if necessary in order to bind the mix together. Heat some wraps (curry, lemon thai or spinach flavours work best), fill and enjoy! Be sure to check regulations before setting out to catch crabs and be clear about size and catch limits.

Note: In BC, you must have a sport fishing licence, and your name and phone number must be printed clearly on the float that's attached to your trap. Also, you must use rope that sinks rather than polypropene, so that the extra line is not a hazard to foul the prop of a passing boat.

© Laurie MacBride shares her boating and culinary experiences with husband Alan Wilson when she's not busy being Executive Director of the Georgia Strait Alliance.