Crab Feed
What is a crab feed? A crab feed is an event, usually a fundraiser where you get to share the experience of cracking open and eating crab with other crab lovers. I assume the best crab feeds are in the west coast as this is where Dungeness crab comes from. My BFF suggested we go to one of the last crab feeds of the season. The Milpitas Chamber of Commerce was having its 17th Annual Crab Feed and it was being served by the Spring Valley Firefighters. How can I say no to Dungeness Crab and firefighters?
When we arrived, there were hundreds of people that were already seated family style. The majority of people looked like they had been to a crab feed or two. They wore bibs, brought their own utensils, sauces, lemon, etc. I think I could have passed for having been to one before, as I brought a few crab utensils, cloth napkins, and wet naps!
Before the main course arrived, we were served Caesar salad, garlic bread, and pasta. The food was not too bad; luckily I was not expecting great Italian food. I did have a fun time eating family style with strangers. It was helpful to sit next to nice people.
Buckets of Dungeness crab finally arrived. Each person was grabbing about four or five crab legs before they passed the bucket. I had started getting concerned it would be empty before it came to me. I was worrying for no reason as it was a deep bucket and there was plenty of it. The buckets were also refilled several times by the firefighters. I was very appreciative that my neighbor gave me some of her cocktail sauce and lemon. The crab was fresh and meaty. I definitely got tired of cracking them open before I got tired of eating them. It was entertaining to watch everyone use there hands and get messy. It was a great experience and I ask myself why I haven’t gone to one of these crab feeds before. Next year I will be more prepared and bring with me a variety of sauces: cocktail, butter, and a spicy soy sauce that my mom makes!
Before I end this post, I wanted to share that it was my amateur blogging that got me into this crab feed. By the time my BFF and I decided to go, the event was sold out. I emailed the “host” and asked if there were any tickets they could sell me, and that I recently started a food blog and would love to write about the event. I thank the Milpitas Chamber of Commerce for allowing me and my BFF to enjoy this experience.