Ever caught crabs?

Ok clearly I know this is a lobster, a chunky full power male lobster. But if you have come to here via the link I posted at www.facebook.com/bassfishingtrips then you will have seen the clonking spider crab that the title perhaps better relates to.

What you may not be aware of is that as well as fishing trips we run crab fishing trips. We have taken the all time family favourite harbour side family holiday game to a new level and gone extreme (well at least epic) crab fishing. With baited nets the size of large bicycle wheels and a local shellfish covered reef to drop the nets down to, this is deep water crab fishing of a whole new world.

Its a game of endless excitement as a) you never know what is going to come up and b) its always a surprise when it does. From blennies to whelks and octopus to starfish just about anything and everything does come up. People get on with varying expectations for some its about the fun, for others its about the education and for many its about a shellfish dinner!

Whilst we are on shellfish dinners; of the beasties that are caught and can be taken (limits apply) are velvet crabs (the Spanish drool over these feisty critters, visit a tapas bar in Barcelona and you'll find them boiled, cracked and covered in deliciously garlicky extra virgin olive oil and chopped vine ripened tomatoes = lovely). Brown crabs are the Brits favourite but spider crabs are better as they are sweeter and full of white flaky meat and less rich. Eat them warm on sliced bruschetta with fresh basil and a squeeze of lemon. Or how about prawns? The wonderful humble British prawn. A pint pot full, a crusty brown loaf, good quality proper salty butter (hunt for some small scale produced local butter or think french) and some rocket leaves to nibble on = wow.

And then there is there is the beautiful, prehistoric and much sort after lobster. For me they are at their worst boiled. With lobster I advise you to look east, to south east asia to be specific. Wok fry them from blue in ground nut oil with fresh ginger, garlic, green chillis and coriander or half them and slap them on a grey coaled BBQ. Then drizzle with lime juice, fish sauce, chilli and sugar. The classic Thai flavours of sour, salty, spicy and sweet. You have not eaten lobster until you have eaten lobster cooked like this.

Ok enough. I didn't expect to reveal my love of preparing cooking and best of all eating the great British shellfish found on our coast. So come crab fishing this summer and you too could be going home with something very special. www.facebook.com/crabfishingtrips.