As the invasive European green crab has continued to expand and ravage the New England coast for years, marine researchers, ocean conservationists and some fishermen have long suggested getting them on restaurant menus to cull the growing population.
But right now, there’s only one Maine restaurant with green crabs on its permanent menu: Must Be Nice Lobster in Belfast.
At the end of last year, lobsterman and restaurant owner Sadie Samuels started experimenting with ways to use the invasive species in her cooking. Now, they’re a staple in the seafood stock, adding a sweet, “velvety” taste to the traditional lobster chowder sold at the 2 Cross St. restaurant, Samuels said.
“I’ve had a million people be like, ‘what’s the secret ingredient in here?’ And I’m like, ‘it’s just green crab in the stock,’” Samuels said.
Despite efforts to encourage restaurants to add the invasive green crab to menus, Must Be Nice Lobster is one of only a handful of restaurants in New England with green crabs on the permanent menu. The crabs, which have a bad reputation, are a hard sell for chefs.
But Samuels, who has been working on the water in midcoast Maine since she was a kid, was curious when started seeing more and more green crabs showing up in her trap.
For her, it’s not just a question of how the green crabs affect her business, but preserving the environment for future generations of fishermen. Green crabs devastate softshell clam populations on which fishermen and other crustaceans depend, kill juvenile lobsters and destroy important eelgrass habitats.
“They’re definitely having a major effect in the ocean here, and that’s going to affect the future of lobstering or any type of fishing … this is an invasive species that’s kind of putting the pedal to the metal,” Samuels said. “The actions that you take now absolutely have a ripple effect to what happens in the future.”
She’s still thinking about other ways to get green crabs on the menu, including experimenting with making moleche, an Venetian recipe using fried softshell green crabs.
Mary Parks, founder and director of GreenCrab.org, views creating a commercial market for the invasive species as important for eventually controlling the growth of the green crab population.
“We have so many other fisheries that have been overfished, or that are leaving maybe the Gulf of Maine because of climate change,” Parks said. “We have a species here that is abundant, readily available, and it’s delicious. It’s a new tool in the kitchen for chefs.”
Right now, there are seven New England restaurants that have green crabs on the menu, according to GreenCrab.org’s regularly updated list of restaurants serving the species.
Parks is hoping that will change.
“There are so many different ways that we can eat them, there are so many different ways that we can utilize them,” Parks said.
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