December 3, 2008

"Maryland Steamed Crab"

Oil on museum quality, archival ampersand gessobord™ panel - 6” x 8”


There is a song that is popular around this time of year called “[Oh, I want] Crabs for Christmas.” You may think that crab season is long gone. Au contraire, mon frère! Some of the best crabs we have ever had were consumed in the winter. Granted they were brought up from Texas or Louisiana but they were meaty and delicious. This little guy was the last of the local Chesapeake Bay harvest. Small, but fat and sweet. A pitcher of Natty Boh (National Bohemian) is the perfect accompaniment to these delightful crustaceans but sadly, at our favorite crab house we have to settle for Coor’s Light. It is visually identical to Boh, so use your imagination. Cheers!

8 comments:

Carol Schiff Daily Painting said...

Great composition!

Mark Adams said...

Yummy, too.

Diane said...

We heard Garrison Keillor speak last night and his fist ditty was about the "deliciousness" of Maryland crabs. He must of seen this paining just prior to walking on stage.. A perfect rendition of the meal the Chesapeake Bay is famous for!

Although there doesn't look to be enough Old Bay and pepper seasoning on this crab from your spicey tastebuds..

Mark Adams said...

I wiped some off and gave it a schmeer of butter to highlight the shell. I also cleaned up the schmutz on the paper.

Anonymous said...

Coor's Light???

I feel an intervention coming.

Fran

Mark Adams said...

Fran,
You are obviously not a native son. Anything more flavorful than a Boh or a Bud would overpower the delicate sweet crabmeat. This does seem counterintuitive, given the heavy coating of salt and spice on the crabs. I've tried washing them down with Bass Ale and it was wrong, all wrong.

That said, a Guinness (or two) could definitely be in my future, sans crab.

marytroutman said...

i cant wait to go crabbing!!!!! i dont eat them(forgive me lord!) i just love to catch them for the family. a day out in the boat is almost as good as painting. check out my crab paintings on www.maryloutroutman.com. if you want to go crabbin this summer look me up ... i am about 2 hours south of riestertown.

Mark Adams said...

Mary Lou, I haven't been crabbing in 40 years, it would be fun to try it again.

I like your work btw, Great titles, too.