Calvert Crabs and Seafood, Prince Frederick, Calvert County, Maryland

Calvert Crabs and Seafood is a treasure. It’s a tiny place in a small strip mall off Rt. 4, the one just south of Dares Beach Road and north of Outback — the same strip as Bulrushes. Calvert Crabs hits all of the Maryland notes, from Old Bay in a shaker next to the salt and pepper (and two vinegars and hot sauce) on every table. Everything else is in-house, and everything is from Maryland that can be from Maryland.

One of Calvert Crabs’ great charms is Courtney, the one person working in front, covering the dining area.  She seems to be doing everything, taking orders in person and over the the incessantly ringing phone. I’ve never been in Calvert Crabs when Courtney wasn’t busy, or any moment when she wasn’t open, friendly, and good humored. She makes you feel at home.

In the back, where the cooking takes place, there are as many as two people. Sometimes it seems like there’s just one, but in crab season a second person often emerges with food for dine-in and carry-out customers. Most of the customers seem to be ordering steamed crabs, and I suppose there may be another person working in the clouds of Old Bay-scented steam, but that’s only a guess. We’ve ordered their steamed crabs and they are delicious. Most often, though, we’re there to grab lunch, as we were on our most recent visit.

We brought the full group — Nancy and I, Liza and Michael, and the girls, Ella (6) and Lily (4). Calvert Crabs is a great place to bring young children. Even though there’s so much going on, they managed to get the food out quickly, hot and fresh — and tasty.

This trip, Michael and I both had soft shell sandwiches.

One of the nice things about Calvert Crabs is that a New Orleans influence keeps popping up. This time, a good remoulade was available for the sandwiches in addition to the usual tartar sauce. It gave a great soft shell an extra hit that made the sandwich extra special.

Ah, you noticed the collards. Calvert Crabs knows how to cook collards. They have that good earthy flavor, and at Calvert Crabs they also have a gentle pepper kick. You should try them.

Nancy and Liza both ordered broiled crab cakes, NAncy in a sandwich with a side of slaw, and Liza’s over a salad. Here’s Nancy’s.

Nancy has become a demanding connoisseur of crab cakes, but the ones at Calvert Crabs always pass the test. She’s very high on the slaw, too. Liza should have ordered two crab cakes. Even before Lily finished the hushpuppies that came with her quesadillas,

she climbed into Liza’s lap and ate half of Liza’s crab cake. The quesadillas — isn’t that a generous serving for a child’s plate? — went home to become supper, as did most of Ella’s formidable “child’s serving” of macaroni and cheese. Ella did eat all of her hushpuppies. I think she gets that from me.

Calvert Crabs is at its best when you dine in and get to enjoy Courtney and chat with other customers, but second best is to come across the Calvert Crabs food truck. Their schedule comes up on their Instagram page. There’s no Facebook page, alas. Either way, you’ll get seafood at a competitive price that’s good even by Southern Maryland standards, and that’s saying a lot. Hurry over to Calvert Crabs.

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