Portsmouth Restaurateur to Serve Invasive Green Crabs

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - A Porsmouth restaurateur recently teamed up with a New Hampshire scientist to solve the problem of green crabs, an invasive species. According to the Bangor Daily News, Chef Matt Louis, owner of two restaurants in Portsmouth, unveiled a new menu item Tuesday that uses green crabs as a main ingredient.

The green crab, Carcinas maenas, is an invasive species of crab that has wreaked ecological and economic havoc along the New England coast for decades. As ocean temperatures have increased, the populations of these crabs continue to explode.

The Portsmouth Herald reports he teamed with University of New Hampshire scientist Gabby Bradt to help create the green crab stew with chicken sausage and chili oil.

Louis says the crabs have very hard shells, so he extracts flavor by cooking them whole to make stocks and stew.

Brandt says the crabs “decimate everything” and are badly hurting New England’s soft shell clam populations. Brandt says local scientists are working on multiple solutions to the green crab problem.

Currently, there is no strategy in place to control the populations of green crabs, and there is no real commercial market or fishery for these invaders.

To read the full story, visit the Bangor Daily News.

Courtesy Photo / UNH