Canton Dockside

One of the things we remember most about our Baltimore trip (from 5 years ago) is our 3 hour long crab feast. Our original plan for our only full day in Baltimore was to get up early, explore a little bit, head to Canton Dockside for a crab-filled lunch, go to the Inner Harbor and sightsee a little bit, and then go to Oriole Park for the evening baseball game. We made it to lunch and to the game, but there was no sightseeing in between since by the time we were done with lunch, it was already time to drive to Camden Yards!

Neither of us had really indulged in Maryland crab before this trip, but we felt like it was something we had to do. When we researched where to go, there were so many different opinions and everyone seemed to have their own personal favorite for steamed crabs and crab cakes. It didn't seem like there was some universally loved "best" place, but people seemed to like Canton Dockside for steamed crabs and it seemed convenient, so we headed over there. (The crab cakes would wait until the next day.)

We got a (rather large) table since we had arrived on the earlier side for lunch. Just after ordering, since we got steamed crabs, they brought out a bucket for shells/parts and a couple mallets so we could crack open our lunch. We were really excited for this new experience and studied the 5 step crab eating instructions on our placemats in preparation for our adventure. But before we delved into the steamed crabs, it was time for an appetizer.

For our appetizer, we got an order of their Maryland crab dip, which came with "sides" of celery and garlic bread. From what we remember, this was really tasty and a good start to our meal. It was creamy and rich, but while we enjoyed it, we were ready to eat some "real" whole crabs, so we were pretty happy when this arrived at our table.

We don't remember how many crabs were in the tray (we think they recommended 10?), but they were filling enough for lunch and, as we said, took 3 hours to eat. Part of that was the steep learning curve in figuring out just how to get the meat out of the crab and making sure that we didn't miss one tiny morsel. A is great about cleaning off the bones from a lot of what we eat (like chicken and fish), so we definitely weren't going to let any crab go to waste. That being said, cleaning out these crabs was easily one of the more difficult things he had ever eaten.

The crabs themselves were really good, and just simply seasoned with what tasted like (and what most likely was, considering our location) Old Bay. We had a great time eating our steamed crabs, even if it took all afternoon, and would definitely do it again.

Canton Dockside, 3301 Boston Street, in Baltimore, Maryland.