Dirty Food Gone Clean!: Crabbing at the Barnegat Bay

We just got back from an amazing time at the Shore. Though not fully recovered from Hurricane Sandy but there was definitely a lot of heart at this small beach town this summer. It was sad to see a lot of the attractions merely a pile of rumble but the workers were out there every day in the hot sun rebuilding the sidewalks and houses. The guy at Dock Outfitters told us the storm had destroyed the whole dock and they just finished rebuilding it the day before we got there and we were the 30th person to fish off the dock.

So, this was the first time I had ever fished anything from the sea so I was super excited to go crabbing. The store had everything we needed: bait, trap, bucket, ice and a ruler. The blue crabs have to be 4.5 inches to keep and you have to go crazy early (best time to catch and the place starts to get packed at 9am). The first time was practice. You get the fish at the store as bait and place it in the trap with the flexible metal wires at the bottom of the trap. Secure the bait and throw the trap in the water and wait. It seems like the little crabs are easy to catch in the trap as I threw so many back in the ocean. Out of 3 days of crabbing, the final day I caught 5 in 3 hours. I was not leaving Jersey without having my own crab fest and Mission accomplished! Shellfish are not considered a clean food so when I want to "cheat" this is my guilty pleasure (and the fudge off the boardwalk too). And what a treat it was to catch my own seafood from the ocean!! We took the crabs back to the motel and went to the beach to find giant clam shells so that we can put them on the bottom on the crab pot with water and old bay so that the crabs can be steamed cooked. The motel that we stayed at, The Colony, has a grill there for their guests to use. Sunny, the owner is great and very attentive to her guests. She even washed our crab pot for us in her sink after we were done. So if you are staying at the Shore and you need a place to stay, try out The Colony. And did I mention it's like a block away from the beach!!!!