A delicacy to many in North America, blue crabs are becoming a big issue over in Italy. The crabs are an invasive species proving to be a headache for locals and a threat to the Italy's environment. However, there's a solution to this issue — one many Southerners including myself have realized over the years.
You should just eat them. If nature has no natural predator to the invasive blue crab, then let it be the hungry Italian. Fishermen and environmentalists joined forces in promoting this solution to all of their crab woes.
While native to North and South America, blue crabs have crossed the pond into Europe. In Italy, they've invaded several lagoons proving to be a nuisance. In particular, they have threatened eels, clams, and other sea life in the country.
One Italian fisherman had a very poetic way of describing the crustacean. He said, "He is aggressive; he is fast; he is an animal of unacceptable intelligence. We fight this blue crab, but he is stronger than us because there are so many of them."
Blue Crab Is On The Menu
Italy is known for its luxurious food. So the solution seems rather simple — adopt blue crabs into more Italian recipes. Instead of shrimp linguine, why not try crab linguine instead? I'm not a chef, so I'm sure that Italy as a whole can come up with new and bold dishes that I've never heard of.
To encourage blue crab on the menu, Farm lobby group Coldiretti held blue crab-themed food events. The group encouraged locals to begin thinking creatively about how they can put crustaceans in their recipes.
There's already new recipes as well. For instance, chefs have developed a rosemary crab salad, crab Venetian-style (with onion and vinegar), and pasta with garlic-tossed crab. Doesn't that sound delicious? Well I think so anyways.
Of course, they could always cook them with heaping amounts of butter and lemon juice. The old classics never go out of style, and that's always been my preferred choice. When possible, eating invasive species seems to be the way to go. Just take a look at Maine and its green crab problem. Chefs began to incorporate green crabs into various meals, and they've proved to be a hit.
"It's very popular with people and runs out in the first half hour," chef David Sergio from La Peschereccia said. I'm sure blue crabs will follow the same trajectory in Italy.
