If you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em

Pastry recipe may rid Maine of invasive crabs

ORONO, Maine — The unwanted crabs that have plagued Maine’s clam beds for years might soon play a new role.

Two University of Maine scientists and a former graduate student suggest turning the critters into savory pastries.

The green crabs threaten Maine’s environment and economy because they’re ravenous predators of softshell clams, one of the state’s signature seafood items.

State officials have said the crabs, which are native to Europe and turn red once cooked, have increased in numbers in recent years as water temperatures off Maine rise.

State fishery managers have long struggled to find ways to control the population by making the crabs, which net fishermen less than a dollar per pound, worth catching.

Now, three food scientists have happened upon a food that might just be viable: green crab empanadas.

Scientist Joseph Galetti and colleagues have served samples to taste testers and published findings this year in the

stating that about two-thirds of testers would “probably” or “definitely” buy the product.

The empanada is a fried pastry that mixes minced green crabmeat with onions, corn, cayenne pepper and thyme. The scientists say they hope their study will drive interest among food companies in making the product commercially. The university is promoting the findings in hopes of getting fishermen interested in catching crabs and chefs interested in cooking them.

The study says the 87 taste testers rated the empanada between “like slightly” and “like moderately,” which the scientists describe as pretty impressive for food made out of an invasive pest.

The crabs first became noticeable in Maine around the turn of the 20th century and are infamous for the damage they can do to coastal habitats. The small crabs lack popularity as food because they contain little meat.

Food scientist Denise Skonberg said one of the reasons it’s important to find a commercial use for them is their resilience.

Theycansurvivefreezingweather, are resistant to some chemicals used to kill sea pests, and each female can produce hundreds of thousands of offspring.

All the better reason to give people an incentive to eat them, Skonberg said.

“They are hard to kill, and with the reproductive rate and the water warming, they are doing incredibly well,” Skonberg said. “If we don’t have any use for them at all, it’s hard.”