I Got Your Crabs Shellfish Market and Oyster Bar

Happy New Year!

As we kick off the first full week of 2014, everyone here at I Got Your Crabs wanted to take a moment to send out a big thanks. Whether you dine in often enough that we know your name (and your order) by heart or you’ve stopped in just once to try us out, we appreciate you. It’s because of you that we’re able to stay in business year-round. It feels great to go home at the end of a night in the dead of winter with sore muscles from all that shucking. Keep it coming!

We also thought it was the perfect time to highlight a few new twists on some old favorites. There are a few secret pairs that are too perfect together not to share. We invite you to try them on your next visit.

Crab Dip with French Fries

Lump Crab Meat with Granddaddy Salad

Fried Oyster Sandwich

Tacos, Nachos, and Mushrooms! Oh my!

Last week as a customer finished her meal and got up to leave I asked how she’d enjoyed the experience. Her response stuck with me. She said simply, “My mouth is happy”.

Mouths all over the Outer Banks are getting ready to celebrate. We’ve spent the last week perfecting and taste-testing (lucky us!) three new additions to the menu. We are so excited to finally share them with you! But there’s a catch. I’m getting ready to tease you with pictures and mouth-watering descriptions. We bet you don’t make it through the weekend without stopping in just to try these for $7.99 each.

Blue Crab Nachos

We bet you can’t eat just one of these crab nachos! We know because we’ve unsuccessfully tried to resist them. Our made-to-order chips are topped with diced tomato, red onion, and hunks of backfin. Then we drizzle homemade cheese sauce over the entire concoction.

Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms

Is your mouth watering yet? This addition is so delicious that we even added new equipment to our kitchen just for it! Fresh mushrooms are stuffed to overflowing with our popular crab dip, topped with shredded Parmesan, and baked until golden brown. Share them as an appetizer or hog them all to yourself as a meal!

Seafood Tacos

The grand finale of this post might be a new favorite among our employees. You’ve never seen tacos like this. They include your choice of Flounder, shrimp, crab cake, oyster, soft crab, or clam strips. Each taco is generously loaded with our own mango salsa, fresh cabbage, and diced tomatoes. They’re tucked into toasted tortillas and finished off with cheddar cheese.

Conveniently, it’s lunchtime now and I’ve tortured my taste buds long enough. My mouth won’t be happy until it’s full of fried oyster tacos and neither will yours. See you for lunch!

Happy Birthday, I Got Your Crabs!

A year ago today our family took a huge leap of faith and opened our restaurant doors. Relying on just each other and a few hand-picked employees, we dove head first into the restaurant business. With limited restaurant experience, we weren’t quite sure what we were getting ourselves into. Boy has it been a roller coaster!

Having hit a few snags along the way, including hurricane Sandy, we never could have imagined being where we are today. According to TripAdvisor, fans have rated us the best restaurant in Kitty Hawk. We’ve also received media attention as locally as The Daily Advance and as distantly as The New York Post. We’re so proud of these milestones because we’ve worked long, hard hours over the last 12 months to make I Got Your Crabs the best that it can be. It’s such a good feeling to know that others love this restaurant as much as we do and the truth is that we couldn’t have done it without you.

As we celebrate our first anniversary, we’d like to thank each and every person who has contributed to our success. Of course, we’d like to thank our employees who have been with us through thick and thin. We also want to thank anyone who’s had a meal at the restaurant, recommended us to friends, or simply purchased a T-shirt. We’re humbled every day by the support of others. We truly cannot wait to watch your families grow with ours as you come back year after year.

Enough with the mushy talk. It’s time for cake and bubbly. Today, we reflect on the long year behind us and look forward to the successful road ahead. Happy birthday, I Got Your Crabs!

We celebrated this morning with a crabby cake and sparkling cider!

Local Wine & Local Seafood

We recently announced the newest addition to our drink list on Facebook. In case you missed it, we now offer yummy, local wines from Sanctuary Vineyards. Surrounded by row after row of gorgeous grape vines, Sanctuary Vineyards is located in nearby Jarvisburg, NC. Much like I Got Your Crabs, their success is due in part to family secrets that have been passed down for generations. We’ve borrowed descriptions of the wines straight from the Wright family so that you can get acquainted with them before your next meal. Next time you pass the vineyard on US 158, take time to stop in and sample their finest. You won’t regret it!

THE PLANK “Are you ready to Walk the Plank? Blackbeard would for a taste of our delicious red muscadine wine. Full of ripe and jammy grape flavor, The Plank is best enjoyed chilled while counting your gold doubloons. A portion of the proceeds from each bottle sold is donated to The Hatteras Maritime Museum.”

WILD PONY WHITE “This new blend of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Riesling offers the white wine drinker a delightful combination of apple, pear, and stone fruit flavors. Wild Pony White will be a welcome guest at your dinner table or any festive gathering. A portion of the proceeds from each bottle sold is donated to the Corolla Wild Horse Fund. This is one wild pony you can take home!”

LIFE’S A PEACH “Back by popular demand and with even more peach nectar! Life’s a peach once again exhibits what is meant by having summer in a bottle. With 75% peach and 25% muscadine wine, you can enjoy this wine at any friendly gathering. Drink a peach!!”

MORTON “A surprisingly elegant, yet buyer friendly, blend of our winemaker’s choice red wines. Syrah, Tempranillo, Tannat, Aglianico and Cabernet Sauvignon have been carefully blended, giving flavors of blackberry, black cherry and spice with subtle sweetness and oak.”

Love this? Try that.

In the spirit of spring, we’re sure that you’re ready to try new things. We’ve taken some of you’re favorite foods and matched them up with suggestions that you’ll find are just as tasty. Don’t see your favorite dish listed? We’re always happy to answer questions and point you in the right direction. Don’t be shy!

Love She Crab Soup? Try Oyster Stew!
Both of these cream-based soups are made from scratch daily. Local lump crab meat is added to the She Crab Soup while fresh-shucked, Wanchese oysters are added to the Oyster Stew. Each is prepared with it’s own perfect blend of seasonings and you’re missing out if you haven’t tried both.

She Crab Soup

Oyster Stew

Love Sweet Potato Fries? Try Hushpuppies!
These two yummy treats are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. Both are fried to perfection served with our warm, gooey caramel dip. The hushpuppies are made from scratch with just a hint of onion. Even if you’re not normally fond of hushpuppies, you will love ours.

Sweet Potato Fries

Hushpuppies

Love Flounder? Try Catfish!
These fresh fish are caught locally in the Currituck Sound. They’re professionally cleaned and fried just right in the lightest batter. Both fillets are available on a sandwich, in a fish basket, or a la carte and always paired with Sriracha sauce.

Flounder Fillet

Catfish Fillet

Love Blue Crabs? Try Lump Crabmeat Appetizer!
You’ve been waiting all winter to crack into those yummy, local blue crabs and you’re wait is ALMOST over. Until they’re back in season, try our lump crabmeat appetizer for your entree. The best part is that the work has already been done for you!

Steamed Blue Crabs

Lump Crabmeat Appetizer

Your Questions Answered!

As we near the end of February, stray warm weather leads to thoughts of springtime. Around here spring means the end of oysters, the beginning of blue crabs, and tourists. We’re here to answer a few of the most common questions for those who aren’t thinking that far ahead yet or may just be too shy to ask.

Q: When will you have blue crabs?
A: They’re coming soon – we promise. Unfortunately, the water doesn’t warm up as quickly as the weather and the precious blues are still hibernating. The good news is that your wait is down to weeks rather than months. Want to be the first to know when we’ve got crabs? Email us at Info@IGotYourCrabs to sign up for weekly emails or like us on Facebook.

Q: How long will you have oysters?
A: Like blue crabs, oysters will depend largely on when the weather warms up for good. Part of serving local, seasonal seafood is swapping one delicacy out for another. For us, that means that we’ll stop carrying oysters when the crabs are in full swing.

Q: Will you have time for locals in the summertime? We’re afraid you’ll be too busy for us.
A: Of course! We have to admit that we were intimidated by our first winter. It was the locals who got us through the slow season and we’ll always have time for you! Stay tuned to our Facebook for inside advice about the best times to avoid crowds. Because we live here, though, we understand the temptation of being a hermit during peak season. In that case, remember that you always have the option of calling ahead for takeout. You can always find the newest edition of our menu by visiting our website.

Our Winter Menu

Have more questions? Visit our FAQs page or submit your own question online. We love answering your questions and chances are that you aren’t the first person to ask.

Tunes on Tuesdays!

We announced Pop-A-Top Tuesdays in November and news of it quickly spread, as it often does in the Outer Banks, by word of mouth. For many locals, I Got Your Crabs is now the place to be for Tuesday happy hour. Each week we offer $1.50 domestic beer and live music 5:30-8:30. We’ve made our commitment to local seafood very clear but wanted to elaborate on our commitment to local music.

Over the last few months, we’ve had the pleasure of hosting several local musicians. Each artist was recommended to us through adoring fans and we couldn’t be more impressed by the talent harbored on this island. Some of these artists include Matt & Chris, Jug Tucker, and Bern N Pipes. They play everything from original bluegrass to rock covers and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed each of them.

Matt & Chris

This week we’ll be hosting The Advocates for the first time. We invite you to help us give them a warm welcome on Tuesday. Arrive early for one of our coveted booths. We can’t wait to share the local love with you!

Oyster Crabs

Much like the origin of the “she” in She Crab Soup, we’re often asked about the tiny crabs found in oysters. Whether you love to eat them or are just surprised by their presence, everyone has an opinion. Questions we get are usually about why they’re in the oyster and what kind of crab they are. We did some digging and have answers for you!

The crabs aren’t babies which is a common misconception. They’re fully-grown, adult “oyster crabs”. They vary in color from translucent to purple and all turn orange when steamed. As you probably guessed, they’re named so because they’re most commonly found in oysters from the Atlantic Ocean. The small, soft-shell crabs use the oysters’ shells for protection. While they don’t eat the oyster itself, the parasitic crabs live by stealing the oyster’s food.

A live oyster crab inside a raw oyster’s shell.

You’ll find live crabs in raw oysters and steamed ones otherwise. In either case, they’re safe to eat whole and are even considered a delicacy since they’re specific to certain oyster beds.

Our oysters are crab slough from Wanchese, NC which means that they are full of the little crabs. Interested in trying oyster crabs for the first time? You’re sure to find several in your first dozen which is just $5.00 raw or steamed!

Happy Hibernation, Crabs!

I want to start by thanking each of you for making the restaurant’s first crab season a success. We hit a few bumps along the way but you guys rolled with it and kept coming back for more. We can’t thank you enough for your patronage. So many of you have recommended us to friends or family and that’s made all the difference.

Now that crab season is over, we’re thrilled to be your favorite oyster bar too! It’s a delight when then bar fills up and all of our employees line up to shuck for a packed house. As much as you love the oysters, we know you’ll miss the crabs this winter. A few of you have asked if we’ll be getting more crabs or shipping them in from somewhere else. We will not.

Locally, it’s too cold for blue crabs during this time of the year. They bury down in the mud and hibernate. Rather than dredging or shipping them in from warmer climates, our menu will fluctuate with the seasons. We’re committed to serving the freshest, local seafood and that means that Wanchese oysters will replace the blue crabs each winter.

When springtime comes and the local blue crabs are active again, we’ll have them ready for you. Until then, enjoy the oysters and keep spreading the word!

Sundays are for Salad

We often receive compliments on the simplicity of our menu. Because we offer the freshest seafood and sides cooked to perfection, few frills are necessary. Most items, like “steamed red potatoes” and “lump crabmeat with butter”, are self-explanatory. There is one dish, however, that always elicits questions from new customers. “What’s a Granddaddy salad?” they ask.

Granddaddy Salad

Put simply, it’s a small side salad made with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and bell peppers. We drizzle a homemade vinaigrette over the mixture to finish of this fresh, tasty side dish. What that typical explanation leaves out, however, is that there’s so much more to this salad.

For decades, our extended family got together once a week. Our grandparents opened their home on Sundays to anyone looking for a good meal and even better company. They rotated a few staple meals and somehow always kept up with our ever-growing family. Regardless of whether the main course was Granny’s chicken and dumplings or salty ham sandwiches, Granddaddy always made his salad. Despite our patriarch being well into his eighties and having nerve damage in his hands, you could always count on his salad.

Both grandparents have passed but the tradition still lives on. We take turns hosting and don’t get together quite as often, but there’s still the salad. It’s not a Stuart family gathering without it and it wouldn’t be our family restaurant without it either. We serve the side dish that represents the hospitality of Southern grandparents because we want you to feel like part of the family.

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