Crab

District 12 Ruritan will host a crab feed Saturday, Sept. 11. Doors open at 5 p.m. with all-you-can-eat crabs served between 6 and 9 p.m. The menu also includes chicken, corn on the cob, coleslaw, baked beans, cold draft and sodas. Tickets will be sold in advance only. The club is at the corner of Manor Church and Breathedsville roads in Fairplay. For more information, call 301-582-1005.

This recipe comes from the Deep South and has been modified to work on the outdoor grill, along with the addition of some fresh shallots and Fontina cheese. Fontina adds a nice nuttiness to the mixture but you can easily substitute, Swiss, Gruyere or freshly grated Romano. Make sure you really clean the oysters to remove any grit, pearls and foreign matter from the flesh. Use only the freshest oysters available and feel free to try a nice full-bodied red or even a dry sherry in place of the dry white wine.

A crab luau will be Saturday, Aug. 27, at Hager Hall Conference and Event Center to benefit two local youth wrestling groups. Doors open at 4 p.m. for the Williamsport Wrestling Club/Police Athletic League Youth Wrestling Crab Pickin’ Luau. It will include all-you-can-eat Maryland blue crabs and a full buffet. Tickets cost $40 per person. There will be music, dancing and karaoke. There also will be prize drawings and giveaways. A canned food drive raffle will be held.

In keeping with the summer theme of crab, I decided to work up an entirely different style of sandwich. This sandwich focuses on the flavor of the crab accompanied by fresh ingredients outside of incorporating the meat into mustard or mayo-based dressing.   When you get delicious, sweet crabmeat, there is no reason to hide it behind the flavor of mayo, relish, mustard or seafood seasoning. Let the summer bounty be your palette and guide your creations. - Scott C. Anderson is associate food service director and chef with Shepherd University dining services in Shepherds-town, W.Va., and Chef Ambassador to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

It has been several years since I visited Chic's Seafood restaurant, the little place on the corner of Summit Avenue and West Lee Street in Hagerstown, with the distinctive big crab on the roof. My friends and I entered the restaurant in the carry-out area. Large display cases are filled with fresh fish and shellfish just waiting to be plopped in the fryer or under the broiler. Big fat stuffed shrimp, crab cakes and accompanying salads filled the trays. The smell of fresh fish was intoxicating.

WILLIAMSPORT -- Sam Cool celebrated his April 30th birthday in style. He and his two partners, brother Shawn Cool and Mike Fotta, took part in the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new restaurant in Williamsport, the Governor's Landing Deli & Restaurant. The restaurant, which opened in October 2007, has been gaining customers mostly through word of mouth. It is in the Bowman Business Park at 10212 Governor Lane Blvd., not far from businesses like Lenox Distribution Center and D.M. Bowman Trucking.

GETTYSBURG, Pa. Ye olde menu at the Dobbin House Tavern is very true to the Colonial period in its affections and spellings, substituting "f's" for "s's" at every chance and throwing in phrases such as "A generous offering difposed in a fanciful manner to dreff your table. " "Our fertile Pennfylvania countryfide supplies the fineft of vegetables," the menu assures us. "We search the markets for the beft and frefhest. " It leaves things open to the guest to figure out why they search the market instead of fearching it, but there is probably a formula at work here that escaped us. The lighting in the Dobbin House dining room is provided exclusively by candles, which is simultaneously romantic and hard on the eyes, efpecially when one is forced to play the letter-substitution game.

shappell@herald-mail.com BOONSBORO - There was no coin flip, no halftime show, no talk of what the best commercial was and no game-winning drive at Mt. Nebo United Methodist Church on Sunday. Still, the church's Souper Bowl luncheon drew more than 100 people, who downed bowls of crab and potato soup, among other varieties, for charity. The event helped the church raise more than $350 for the St. Andrew Potato Project, which provides food for the needy throughout the United States.

Commentary Looking over the Hagerstown City Council's Christmas party menu, I'm thinking they probably could have made do without the fruit tray. That would have saved the taxpayers $75 bones. You know how fruit trays go. You eat a dozen Bries with honey and toasted almonds, eight Swedish meatballs and half a log of that pancetta roll - and then you poke a toothpick into one measly cube of melon because "I'm watching what I eat. " Then they stuff the fruit tray into the office fridge and haul it out the next day all wilted and stuff, when even the fruit flies won't touch it, and sit it on the file cabinet where the only takers are in the tech department working on the theory that maybe honeydew can cure hangovers.

If you weren't excited about the upcoming session of the Maryland General Assembly you will be now: One of the bills to be filed would designate “Soft Shell Crab” as the official Maryland state sandwich. According to the Washington Post, Sen. Richard F. Colburn, R-Old Bay, believes that awarding official status to “a Maryland delicacy” will boost restaurant business and help troubled watermen. Maybe it will, although I have never eaten a Baltimore Oriole specifically because it is the Maryland State Bird.

Name of business: Firehouse Crabballs Owners: Thomas Gibson and Charlotte Baker Address: Williamsport Opening date: Sept. 28, 2011 Products and services: Crab balls stuffed with shrimp, fresh-cut fries, veggie burgers and other items appropriate for the venues to which they travel Target market: Festivals How did you get into your business, and what motivated you to start it? Retirement with travel options Previous business experience: Gibson is assistant chief at the National Institutes of Health Fire Department in Bethesda, Md., and plans to retire in December.

The Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce raised money Saturday with an Old Line State delicacy. “Nothing says Maryland in the summer time like good crabs, cold beer, a little bit of music and good friends,” chamber President Brien J. Poffenberger said. Part of the proceeds of the event, called Krab and Karaoke, went to the Community Free Clinic of Washington County and Children In Need. Tickets for the fundraiser, held at Hager Hall Conference and Event Center in Hagerstown, cost $50 apiece.

Cheryl Ruff of Hagerstown said she's a more by-the-recipe kind of cook, compared to her mother who she calls “the best cook ever.”  Ruff tends to collect recipes from family and friends, and this crab dip recipe was one of those finds. She often will serve it during her church's seafood-theme get-together, or for special events such as Christmas Eve or when they're at the beach. Wherever she's at, Ruff likes to serve the dip with toast points or crackers. -  Crystal Schelle, Lifestyle editor Crab dip 8 ounce package cream cheese 1 tablespoon sherry 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning 1 stick butter, softened 1 pound crab meat 1 cup cheese (cheddar or Monterey)

Lake Royer is a man-made body of water, built in the 1800s for summer recreation and ice production in the winter. On Sunday, no one had to break the ice, but there were more than 100 people cavorting - briefly - in its 40-degree waters for the inaugural Polar Plunge to benefit the nonprofit Fort Ritchie Community Center, which counts among its offerings arts, health, fitness and educational programs. The event raised about $4,000 for programs at the center, said Kirsten Hubbard of Waynesboro, Pa., the center's business manager.

Is there anything better than a pot of freshly steamed crabs? I venture to say yes, and that would be some freshly cooked soft shell crabs. Now this recipe is a spiced up version of the good old favorite, so be sure to serve a favorite beverage or two to cut the heat. - Scott C. Anderson is associate food service director and chef with Shepherd University dining services in Shepherdstown, W.Va. Soft shell crabs 8 small soft shell crabs, cleaned 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon blackened seasoning 1/4 cup grapeseed oil 2 fresh chili peppers, seeded and sliced 6 scallions, sliced and chopped Coarse sea salt 1 cup shredded cabbage 1/4 cup shredded jicama 1/4 cup shredded red cabbage 6 ounces sweet chili sauce Take the crabs and make sure that the face has been cut off and that the gills have been removed, pat dry with paper towel.

In keeping with the summer theme of crab, I decided to work up an entirely different style of sandwich. This sandwich focuses on the flavor of the crab accompanied by fresh ingredients outside of incorporating the meat into mustard or mayo-based dressing.   When you get delicious, sweet crabmeat, there is no reason to hide it behind the flavor of mayo, relish, mustard or seafood seasoning. Let the summer bounty be your palette and guide your creations. - Scott C. Anderson is associate food service director and chef with Shepherd University dining services in Shepherds-town, W.Va., and Chef Ambassador to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

OK, so you are probably wondering why I'm so crabby. Well, it's a delicious protein that is so easy to us. in a variety of ways. I love the flavor, texture, and the way it takes to just about every dish I create. You will have to forgive my lack of style, however, in that I am simply adding ingredients to this dish based upon what I use on the mainland.  I've never been to Hawaii, but if one of my loyal readers ever heads that way and needs a personal chef, give me a call, I'd be glad to taste my way across the Hawaiian Islands with you. - Scott C. Anderson is associate food service director and chef with Shepherd University dining services in Shepherdstown, W.Va., and Chef Ambassador to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Sure, you've had beef taco, chicken fajitas or pork burritos, but have you ever devoured a crab taco?  The crab meat gives a nice neutral backdrop to the flavor of the taco. You can add in what you desire, such as pico de gallo, salsa, grated cheese, shredded lettuce, sour cream, avocado, cilantro sprigs, thinly sliced radish, peppers, onions or even pickled jalapenos.   The sky is the limit. Just remember to keep the ingredients fresh and not to load too much on. A little goes a long way, and allows you to get a burst of flavor in each bite.

A crab luau will be held Saturday, Aug. 27, at Hager Hall Conference and Event Center to benefit two local youth wrestling groups. Doors open at 4 p.m. for the Williamsport Wrestling Club/Police Athletic League Youth Wrestling Crab Pickin' Luau. It will include all-you-can-eat Maryland blue crabs and a full buffet. Tickets cost $40 per person. There will be music, dancing and karaoke. There also will be prize drawings and giveaways. A canned food drive raffle will be held.