What’s Steaming?

by Michael Vyskocil

When I think of the Chesapeake Bay region, which includes coastal Maryland and Virginia, I associate this body of water with steamed hard-shell blue crabs caked in spicy seasoning.

It’s no secret that Carroll Countians love crabs. In fact, what would a summer in Maryland be without crabs? Steamed crabs are a staple at picnics and potlucks throughout the county.

Restaurant menus feature them in dishes ranging from crab cakes to crab imperial. Truth be told, if the state were a desert island, residents likely wouldn’t be able to live without their crabs.

If you’re planning a late-summer cookout and want to serve your guests crabs, you may wonder how the experts like to flavor their crabs.

Dave Weise, co-owner of Weise Guy Crabs, has been crabbing his whole life. He started commercial crabbing operations in 2022 before opening the company’s first steaming trailer with his business partner, Jeremy Ohler, to serve the Carroll County community in 2024.

Weise employs a flavor treatment that combines several ingredients. “We steam with water and apple cider vinegar,” he says, “and season them with J.O. No. 2 Crab Seasoning.

“Contrary to belief, J.O. No. 2 is the official crab seasoning for Maryland,” he adds, noting that the J.O. seasoning is coarser than Old Bay seasoning since it contains rock salt.

According to the J.O. Spice Company’s website, the salt helps the custom blend of spices adhere to the shells of steamed crabs.

The seasoning is used extensively in crab houses and restaurants along the East Coast that serve Maryland steamed crabs and is the preferred seasoning for crabs around the Chesapeake Bay area.

Kandice Miller of Crabby Scott’s Seafood, a 15-year-old mobile seafood operation located just over the state line in Littlestown, Pennsylvania, confirms that summer and steamed crabs go together.

“Our business is busier than ever. We couldn’t do it without our customers,” says Miller.

Miller says Crabby Scott’s uses a specialty blend of crab seasoning developed by Scott Miller, the company’s namesake.

“He worked with our seasoning company and developed an amazing blend,” she says, referencing the combination of ingredients that create an unduplicated flavor customers have come to love. The recipe for the spice blend is a closely guarded secret.

As folks prepare for their end-of-summer and Labor Day celebrations, seafood dealers like Weise are encouraging their customers to place their orders as early as possible.

“We take pre-orders Monday for the coming weekend,” he says.

Weise and Miller acknowledge that this season has been particularly challenging for the crabbing industry. Increased fuel, bait, labor, packaging, and other costs, coupled with an unusually cold spring that has impacted crab supplies, have translated to higher costs for the crabs that people eat this year. But these factors have not deterred devotees of the crustaceans, and demand remains high.

As you plan your end-of-season crab feast, support the businesses (see list at right) that labor throughout the year to bring the freshest crabs to your table for friends and family to enjoy.

Readers’ Choice 2026

In our second annual Readers’ Choice Awards, published in the June/July issue, Carroll Magazine readers nominated the following as the best places to go for crabs: