Hard-Shell Crab Restaurants around Long Beach, New York

long island beach image by Xavier MARCHANT from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>

In late summer on Long Island, blue claw crabs can be caught and eaten, under the New York State regulation that the crab is 4 ½ inches in size. Crabbers are allowed to catch up to 50 per day, all year round. They are usually boiled and seasoned and sometimes dipped in a butter sauce. Catch your own crabs, or visit one of a few restaurants near Long Beach, NY, that serve them crab-boil style.

The Waterfront Crab House

crab image by Andrew Buckin from Fotolia.com

The Waterfront Crab House in Long Island City offers hard shell crabs among many other seafood and meat choices, as well as live music six days of the week. Opened in 1978 by Anthony Mazzarella, the Waterfront Crab House is housed in a renovated hotel. On Monday and Tuesday, the restaurant offers a prixe fixe dinner, but if you want crabs, you'll have to order a la carte. The restaurant offers two options for hard-shell crabs: steamed in garlic and spices or cooked Maryland style in Old Bay seasoning. The restaurant also serves crab cakes, crab cake burgers and King crab legs. Crabs are offered at market price.

The Waterfront Crab House
2-03 Borden Avenue
Long Island City, NY
(718) 729-4862
wfcrabhouse.com

The Original Crab Shanty Restaurant

sand crab image by Bruce Hewitson from Fotolia.com

Built in a turn-of-the-century silent movie house-turned post office, the Original Crab Shanty opened in 1977 on City Island Avenue. The restaurant offers an array of seafood along with beach-style cocktails like daiquiris and "City Island Iced Tea." It offers hard-shell blue claw crabs in a few styles: "Baltimore style," which is a lot like Maryland style with Old Bay; steamed; in red sauce or in garlic sauce. You can order a Dungeness crab stuffed with crab meat and baked. The Shanty also offers soft-shell crabs, crab cakes and crab legs. Hard-shell crabs, except the pricier Dungeness, cost $21.95 (2010 pricing).

The Original Crab Shanty Restaurant
361 City Island Avenue
Bronx, NY 10464
(718) 885-1810
originalcrabshanty.com

Buccaneer Crab House

crab image by Vaclav Janousek from Fotolia.com

The Buccaneer Crab House in Freeport is housed in a building with hardwood floors and a fireplace, and its walls are adorned with nets and sea creatures. Wednesday night is karaoke night at Buccaneer, and the restaurant stays open until midnight. The chef offers hard-shell crabs in appetizer portions for $10, entrée portions for $18, and all-you-can-eat for $25.99 (2010 pricing). Buccaneer also offers a few styles: Louisiana boil style crabs, Maryland style or butter and garlic. The restaurant is also known for its mussels and oysters.

Buccaneer Crab House
108 West Merrick Road
Freeport, NY 11520
516-442-1151
buccaneercrabhouse.com/

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Article Written By Jenny Molberg

Jenny Molberg is a Texas native who has worked as an assistant editor at a literary magazine and her poems have been published in several nationally recognized journals. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing.

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