Cantler’s Crab Shack, Maryland

On a recent weekend, we set out to do what so many Marylanders do as soon as the weather gets hot: head out to a crab shack to feast on piles of hard shell blue crabs.

Cantler’s holds a place of honor among crab shacks. It’s so popular that it’s even included on nautical charts of the Chesapeake Bay – all the better for getting there by boat.

This ain’t no fancy restaurant, so service-wise, expect to do it yourself. Our waitress unceremoniously put a bucket of canned Coors Light, Yuengling and Heineken on the table, and we poured our own water and fished our own utensils out of another bucket.

But it was fast, friendly and efficient: Cantler’s is about keepin’ it real, hon.

The main attraction arrived: a dozen extra-large hardshell crabs. The extra-large size is more expensive (market price $75) but also more rewarding, since you get more crabmeat for the same amount of effort. (If you don’t know how to take them apart, find instructions and photos here.) Cantler’s crabs were A-plus in quality, with just the right amount of Old Bay sprinkled on them and the tray. Better yet, they threw in an extra crab.

Non-crab fans can still get the same Old Bay goodness with Cantler’s jumbo steamed shrimp.

Another highlight here is the delicious onion rings, light and crispy outside, sweet and tender within.

A crab feast is no drive-through affair, so expect to spend some time working on your meal. This is a big part of the appeal to Marylanders. It took over an hour to get through most of the crabs, and we took the rest home to make a quick, easy crab pasta – recipe to follow.

If you must have hardshell crabs and can’t get to Maryland, New York’s Chesapeake-themed Choptank has an all-you-can-eat hardshell crabs deal on weekend afternoons. But if you’re ever near Annapolis in the summertime, you haven’t really been to Maryland until you’ve been to a crab shack like Cantler’s.

Cantler’s Riverside Inn
458 Forest Beach Road
Annapolis, MD
410-757-1311
cantlers.com