Experiences You Should Have

Many people visit Hierve El Agua's petrified waterfalls, but most don't spend the night because it's not advertised anywhere until now.

Learn about hiking upper and lower Antelope Canyon in Arizona and find out which is the best slot canyon for you to hike!

Listen to Experiences You Should Have Podcast on getting to know your neighbors and how you could brighten their day with one simple action.

Experiences You Should Have Podcast Show Notes

Going Crabbing: Interview with Dr. Alan Snyder

I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Alan Snyder for this fun episode on crabbing in the Chesapeake Bay. Dr. Snyder was born and raised in Baltimore, MD where both eating and catching crab is part of the culture. Seafood and Old Bay are also in your blood if you're from Baltimore, personally, my 2 favorite things! If you love eating crab, then please read on!

Listen to the episode above to get the full experience. Also, check out Dr. Alan Snyder's podcast, Boo's Your Daddy, a 30-minute unscripted podcast where they drink a beer and tell comical stories about life with a game of Trivia.

Dr. Alan Snyder eating his Crab with a Natty Boh Beer

Experience Crabbing

When you go crabbing, it's a lot more complicated than fishing; there is a lot more preparation involved. If you have a boat, you're going to set up a massive line with a buoy, and a cinder block and tie bait on your line every 10-15 feet or so. I know it sounds weird, but the best crab bait is chicken necks. If chicken necks aren't your thing, you can use eel and fish guts as bait. You slowly feed the line over a PVC pipe, the crabs then hold onto the chicken necks, and as the line comes up, you pull the crab up with nets. There are other ways to capture crab: fishing poles, traps, professional crates, etc.

You need to make sure based on what state you're in that you have the correct permit and proper size before you capture them, cook them, and eat them.

When is the Best Time to go Crabbing on the Chesapeake Bay?

You can go crabbing year round on the Chesapeake Bay, but the best time for going crabbing is the end of summer or fall months.

Preparing and Cooking Crab

When you're preparing crab, fill the bucket or cooler with ice, and put them right side up. It dulls their movement and feeling and makes it easier to cook them. It takes about 20-30 minutes to steam crabs. If there is any blue or green coloring left on the crabs, you'll need to keep cooking them. Alan recommends using beer, rock salt, and plenty of Old Bay Seasoning when steaming!

While this post is about east coast crab, here's a video on how to break down a Dungeness Crab (west coast crab).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48WTCnF2rSQ

Alan's Favorite Way to Eat Crab

Crab Cakes are Alan's favorite way to eat crab. It's 90% crab meat (jumbo lump back fin meat), broiled with an egg, parsley, squirt of yellow mustard, mayo, few ritz crackers with lemon juice and of course Old Bay. Alan is a purist and doesn't like tartar sauce on his crab.

If you're a beer drinker and on the East coast, then pop open a Natural Bohemian Beer--Natty Boh beer, is the best drink to have with your crab when in Maryland.

When eating crab, make sure you're eating just the meat from the legs and back.

Maryland Crab Cakes

This crab cake recipe is 90% crab meat and is best eaten wtih a Natural Bohemian Beer and provided by Dr. Alan Snyder

1 lb backfin crab meat1 egg1 tbsp mustard1 tbsp mayo1 tbsp old bay1 tbsp parsley8 Ritz crackers crushed1 tbsp lemon juice

Mix together all of the above ingredientsBroil at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes

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Thinking about buying a van and hitting the road? Listen to this podcast episode on van life and find find out how van life has been affected by the pandemic, costs involved, and how to get creative with your schedule.

Learn about climbing Washington State's tallest mountain, Mt. Rainier. Chris Tucker, experienced mountaineer, is on a quest to climb the tallest peak in all 50 states, and he has now checked off Mt. Rainier. Learn more on how you could do this bucket list experience.

Learn about photographing the Aurora Borealis in Alaska and how you can experience the Aurora from home during this COVID times. Ronn from the Aurora Chasers explains capturing the Aurora and how COVID-19 has affected their Aurora photo tour business.

Learn more about the producer and host of Experiences You Should Have Podcast including Gail's background and the incredible origin story that includes hammerheads.

Learn about the Perseids Meteor shower including what it is, when to see it, and how to find the dark sky. This is the perfect social distancing activity and an incredible celestial event.