Above: Customers Jim and Debi Hackett with Kathy’s Crab House owner/operator Kathy Wisowaty. Photo by Joe del Tufo.
By Pam George
Nothing says summer in Delaware like the staggered staccato crack of crab mallets. Throughout the state, diners are bellying up to tables covered in brown paper with paper towel rolls as centerpieces. For proof, visit The Surfing Crab Restaurant & Bar just outside Lewes on Route 1’s northbound side.
The spicy smell that permeates the air will make you hungry for crabs, even if you didn’t intend to order them. Watch where you walk; servers with hunched shoulders are continually weaving through the three enclosed porches with trays piled high with crabs.
Judging by the mountain of shells on the tables, there is seemingly an endless supply. However, feeding the public’s appetite for blue crabs is challenging for crabbers and restaurants serving them.
Toast of the Coast
Callinectes sapidus — Latin for “beautiful savory swimmer” has a pretty shell with bright blue accents on the menacing-looking claws. Granted, some find it far more beautiful after steam turns it into a distinctive orange-red shade.
The crustacean is found along the Atlantic Ocean’s coast, from Cape Cod to Argentina, and around the entire coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana boasts the world’s largest blue crab fishery. According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, crabs from the Gulf of Mexico grow fast, mature quickly, and have a high reproduction rate.
More than one-third of the nation’s blue crab catch comes from the Chesapeake Bay, including hard-shell, peeler, and soft-shell crabs. Consequently, blue crabs are the most valuable commercial fishery in the Chesapeake, earning millions of dollars of revenue each year.
Delaware is no slouch. Blue crabs bring in well over $10 million a year, making it Delaware’s “most important and valuable commercial fishery,” says Richard Wong, a biometrician and program manager for the Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife. “Commercial watermen land around 4 million pounds of blue crabs in Delaware yearly,” he notes. “This is greater than all other species landings combined.”
Meeting the Demand
The Maryland crab season runs from early April into late November and December. However, the crabs aren’t large and meaty until later in the season — so don’t put your mallets and crackers away until late fall.
Since the southern states’ crab seasons started earlier, restaurants initially purchased crabs from Louisiana and North Carolina.
“The simplest explanation is that crabs are more prevalent where it’s warm,” says Mike Muzzin, senior director of operations for Big Fish Restaurant Group, which owns The Crab House in Rehoboth Beach. Depending on the size and local supply, restaurants may continue Louisiana and Carolina crabs well into the season. Compare a bushel of Louisiana crabs to one with Maryland crustaceans, and you can spot the size difference — even if they’re all desirable number ones, Muzzin says. However, some locals maintain that crabs from the Delmarva region are sweeter, he adds.
A Precarious Balance
However, the local crab population is a subject of concern. In the Chesapeake Bay, the adult crab population decreased to 133 million compared to 152 million last year, and both numbers are below the 215 million adult female crabs needed for a healthy population.
The statistics come from the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey, a collaboration between the Maryland Department of Resources and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Adult male crabs decreased from 55 million in 2023 to 46 million in 2024.
Wong says Delaware’s harvests are traditionally robust, averaging 4.4 million pounds since 2016. “But we did see a dip last year to 3.6 million pounds,” he adds.
What’s affecting the population? While harvesting is the leading cause of crab mortality, water quality and weather patterns, which can flush larvae and babies out of the bays, also play a part. The crabs also have non-human predators, including striped bass (rockfish), Atlantic croaker, red drum and blue herons. Sea turtles feed on smaller crabs. A more recent threat is the invasive wild blue catfish, which gorges unchecked on blue crabs and striped bass. “They are voracious predators,” Wong agrees.
Many beach restaurants now serve blue catfish to promote sustainability. Crabs will even eat each other.
To promote population growth, The Chesapeake Bay Foundation promotes science-based efforts to improve water quality and restore underwater grasses and marshes where the crabs live and breed.
While the scientists hammer out a solution, consumers will keep cracking, and hopefully, the supply will keep up with the demand.
Working north to south, here are 14 restaurants that specialize in blue crabs.
Philip and MarySue DiFebo of Feby’s
Fishery in Wilmington. Photo by Jim Coarse.
Feby’s Fishery
The Wilmington institution is renowned for its all-you-can-eat Dungeness crab with two sides. However, Feby’s also sells blue crabs in its adjoining market, and they are available during the season in the dining room.
3701 Lancaster Pike, Wilmington; 998-9501; FebysFishery.com
Lestardo’s Crab House
This New Castle-area landmark has a long history. In 1968, Eugene “Rusty” Lestardo bought the Rambleton Inn and sold it. In 1975, he repurchased the business and renamed it Lestardo’s. The restaurant sells crabs seasoned with garlic, Cajun spices or both, a mix that might raise eyebrows on the Eastern Shore. You may also find whole crabs cooked in marinara sauce.
135 Christiana Road, New Castle; 328-5070; facebook.com/LestardosCrabHouse
Kathy’s Crab House & Family Restaurant
The Delaware City restaurant started as Wiso’s Crab House. When Bob Wisowaty and his wife, Kathy, divorced, it became Kathy’s Crab House. Bob opened Wiso’s Crabs & Seafood at 101 Fifth St., which closed earlier this year. Along with crabs, Kathy’s offers a variety of seafood dishes and comfort foods.
107 Fifth St., Delaware City; 834-2279; DineAtKathys.com
Gus’s Crab Shack
Don’t be fooled by the name — this is no shack. It’s a 5,000-square-foot restaurant that many remember as the Crab Crib. It’s so large that the building was once a local fire company’s banquet hall. Crabber Robert “Gus” Gesullo and his wife Micki kept the decorative fountain where pickers could clean their hands. Many appreciate the live music.
29 W. Market St., Port Penn; 598-2685; GusgotCrabs.com
Boondocks Restaurant & Package Store
Boondocks is kitschy in the most delicious way. Consider a wall of license plates, a menu featuring a winking leggy “pinup” crab wearing a pout and a bra, and a hearse with a sign that reads, “Crab Laid To Rest Here.” Pair the crabs with the green Swamp Water cocktail in a Mason jar.
825 Lighthouse Rd., Smyrna; 653-6962; DoondocksDe.com
Sambo’s Tavern
The Burrows family has owned Sambo’s Tavern since 1953 when crabber Samuel “Sambo” Burrows purchased the Leipsic River building. The seasonal restaurant is a true tavern, so you must be 21 to enter. Bring cash.
283 Front St., Leipsic; 674-9724; facebook.com/SambosTavern
The Surfing Crab Restaurant & Bar
Come for the crabs — many do — but check out the other seafood options, including steamed middle-neck clams that are far more satisfying than littlenecks. This is a no-frills restaurant with fresh seafood and a personable staff. To get the desired size, pre-order your crabs. But note that you can’t reserve a seat.
16723 Coastal Highway Lewes; 644-4448; thesurfingcrab.com
Bushels Sports Bar & Grill
Lazy Susan’s Hot Fat Crabs, the OG of beach crab houses, moved three times before closing. Anthony and Chris Jacona of Zogg’s and The Wheelhouse fame opened Bushels in the Route 1 space. The emphasis has changed to sports, but the restaurant offers All You Can Eat (AUCE) blue crabs, snow crabs and shrimp all year.
18289 Coastal Hwy, Lewes; 645-5115; bushelsde.com
The Crab House
Part of the Big Fish Restaurant Group, The Crab House has All You Can Eat (AUCE) crabs every night and a seafood buffet every day from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
19598 Coastal Hwy., Rehoboth Beach; 227-2019; CrabHouseRehoboth.com
Claws Seafood House
The downtown restaurant is part of Fins Hospitality Group, which owns Big Oyster Brewery. Crabs are delivered daily and steamed to order. The crab-averse have plenty of options, especially if they like seafood.
167 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach; 227-2529; 227Claw.com
Starboard Claw
The newest crab house, part of the Starboard family of restaurants, was built from the ground up on Hammerheads’s old site. Crabs are steamed to order, and there’s also a “Claw Bar” with a chilled crab cocktail, snow crab legs and Dungeness crabs.
1818 Coastal Highway, Dewey Beach; 550-2529; StarboardClaw.com
The Blue Crab
Blue crabs and snow crab legs are available at this family favorite.
210 Garfield Parkway, Bethany Beach; 537-4700; BethanyBlueCrab.com
Mickey’s Family Crab House
Michael “Mickey” Walker opened the Bethany crab house in 1990. AUCE blue crabs and snow crabs are offered until 8:45 p.m.
39610 Jefferson Bridge Road; Bethany Beach; 539-5384; MickeysFamilyCrabHouse.com
Fenwick Crab House
For over five decades, this crab house has served hot, juicy blue crabs steamed or in various dishes, including crab cakes, which are available for shipping.
100 Coastal Hwy., Fenwick Island; 539-2500; FenwickCrabHouse.com
