Crabs are a specialty food along New Jersey's coastline.
Crabbing is a popular activity in New Jersey, for both recreation and livelihood. The blue crab is plentiful in the state's waters, especially in Ocean, Cumberland and Monmouth counties. The blue crab also flourishes in nearby Maryland, so crabs are a popular fare, and many restaurants specialize in them. Note: Some restaurants are seasonal. See their websites or call for details. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Crab Restaurants on the Northern Jersey Shore
Crab served various ways is on the menu at The Crab's Claw Inn.
The Crab's Claw Inn in Lavallette features various crab appetizers and entrees, not limited to the New Jersey Blue Crab. Items on the restaurant's menu include: spicy or creamy crab chowder, lump crabmeat cocktail, mushrooms stuffed with crabmeat, Dungeness crab clusters, king crab legs, snow crab legs, Maryland-style crab cakes, flounder stuffed with crabmeat, and soft shell crabs in season. Other seafood dishes and non-seafood dishes are available, including sandwiches and burgers during lunch.
Jakes Crab Shack boasts that it has "the best crab cakes at the Jersey Shore." It's located on the boardwalk in Belmar, and serves breakfast as well as lunch fare such as hot dogs and hamburgers, along with those crab cakes.
The Crab's Claw Inn
601 Grand Central Ave. (Route 35 North)
Lavallette, NJ 08735
732-793-4447
thecrabsclaw.com
Jakes Crab Shack
500 Ocean Ave
Belmar, NJ 07719
732-894-3177
brandlrestaurant.com/jakes_crab_shack.html
Crab Restaurants on the Southern Jersey Shore
The Lobster House in Cape May takes delivery of fresh seafood daily.
The Crab Trap Restaurant is situated where the estate of John Somers, one of the area's prominent early residents, had been. In 1967 when the restaurant opened, it featured dirt floors and a horseshoe bar, and served beer and sandwiches. Now it is an upscale dining establishment. Crabs are readily available throughout the menu, whether barbecued, deviled, stripped or served as bites. The crab cake salad is another specialty. Crab bisque and Maryland crab soup are also on the menu. Crab Imperial, crab on muffins or toast points, au gratin (creamy cheese sauce), crab cakes and king crab legs are other variations. Other types of seafood, beef and chicken are also on the menu.
The Lobster House in Cape May has a restaurant, raw bar and fish market. Fresh-caught seafood is delivered to the restaurant daily. Takeout and online and mail orders are also available. Crabmeat cocktail, crab fingers, crabmeat salad, crab cakes, sautéed crabmeat, au gratin, soft shell and crab legs are on the menu. Local New Jersey seafood and beef and chicken are also served.
The Crab Trap
2 Broadway
Somers Point, NJ 08244
609-927-7377
thecrabtrap.com
The Lobster House
906 Schellengers Landing Road
Cape May, NJ 08204
609-884-8296
thelobsterhouse.com
Crab Restaurants Elsewhere in New Jersey
King crab legs are standard fare in many of New Jersey's crab restaurants.
Some New Jersey crab restaurants are away from the coastline. The Blue Claw Crab Eatery is near Philadelphia, in south-central New Jersey. The restaurant serves a variety of crab, including blue, snow, king, Dungeness and soft shell. Crab is highlighted in cakes, lump style, soup and entrees. The restaurant offers an all-you-can-eat option as well as takeout.
Another option is The Crab House. The New Jersey location--there are also four in Florida--is in Edgewater, overlooking the Hudson River, with a view of New York City. Steamed crab of various types, crab cakes, dip, lump crabmeat, and rice and orzo infused with crab are on the menu. Other types of seafood, beef and chicken are also available.
Blue Claw Seafood & Crab Eatery
4494 Burlington Pike
Burlington Township, NJ 08016
609-387-3700
crabeatery.com
The Crab House - Edgewater
541 River Road
Edgewater, NJ 07020
201- 840-9311
crabhouseseafood.com
Tags: crab cakes, crab legs, beef chicken, beef chicken also, chicken also