Tide To Table: Crab Grilled To Perfection - Grilled Crabs With Old Bay Butter

There’s something about cooking on the coast of South Carolina that makes food taste just a little more alive. Maybe it’s the salty breeze drifting off the water or the laid-back rhythm of island time—but when you’re out on Goat Island, surrounded by good friends and cold drinks, even a simple crab dish turns into something unforgettable.

On a recent trip to Goat Island, we set up our grill with one mission in mind: shoot a Tide To Table feature for Grilled Blue Crab with Old Bay Butter. The blue crabs were fresh, the butter was rich with garlic and spice, and the grill was set up just a few feet from the water. This is the kind of meal that doesn’t need plates—just a big table, plenty of napkins and maybe an old towel for your hands. As someone born and raised in Maryland, I have Old Bay running through my veins and part of being a Marylander is my love of blue crab—more specifically my love of steamed blue crabs. Cooking them any differently seemed wasteful to me (why mess with perfection!) and I was a bit skeptical of trying them any other way. I can’t tell you how surprised I was with the recipe below and how much I look forward to grilling up another batch in the future. These crabs were beyond flavorful yet still gave the same dining experience of messy hands and cracked shells that go hand in hand with eating steamed blue crab.

Grilled blue crab isn’t just a meal, it’s an event. It’s cracking shells and laughing with friends, licking Old Bay off your fingers and wiping your face with the nearest beach towel. It’s Lowcountry cooking at its finest: unfussy, full of flavor and meant to be shared.

Next time you find yourself with a batch of crabs and want to try something different than the usual steamed variety, fire up the grill and give this recipe a go. And if you’re looking for directions on cooking a Steamed Crab and Lowcountry Boil feast, be sure to check out Episode 3 of Tide To Table.