uncomplicated & unrefined: February 2012

Crabbing is a traditional WA pastime. Many Western Australian cities are based on estuaries where crabs thrive, and here in Perth, on any given morning or evening you’ll see fisherman on the Swan or Canning Rivers dropping crab nets from their tinnies (tin boats).

We go crabbing at least a few times each summer. Catching a crab is much easier than preparing one for a meal. You don’t need a boat to catch a crab; although that’s the only way I’ve ever done it. According to Shane, there are three ways to catch a crab: on a boat using drop nets, wading through the water with a handheld scoop net, or by chasing them. If you’ve seen the fierceness of a crab’s claws, then you’ll understand that the first option is the more comfortable and safer one.

Drop nets have a small central pouch where you store the crab bait which may include raw chicken, organ meat, or lamb to name a few. The net which sits on the floor of the estuary is connected to a rope affixed with a buoy. Drop several nets in a straight line several meters apart, have a yarn (chat) and a beer, and then pull the nets up about 20 minutes later in hopes that they contain a crab or two. You must pull fast or else you risk the crabs swimming out of the net.

Last weekend we went crabbing on the Peel Estuary in Mandurah about 45 minutes south of Perth. Within 2 hours we caught 20 crabs of legal size. Female crabs with egg sacks must also be released. Egg sacks are easily visible at the rear of the body. Female crabs also have smaller claws and are browner in color, while male crabs are bluer. I did not know until I first went crabbing 12 years ago that crabs don’t turn red until cooked. Female crabs also have a different patterned belly which includes blue markings.

I still get a bit squeamish throwing a living crab into a pot of boiling water but ten minutes later, they are red and dead and the real fun begins. A big mess and a lot of effort is required to crack and clean a crab and you’re usually left with little to show for. But there’s a bit of excitement that comes with catching your own meal and controlling the full supply chain of what you eat, especially when it’s something as treasured as crab legs.