Are Captain Jimmy’s Crabs Best in Town?

Captain Jimmy’s Crab House, located at 7214 North Point Road in Edgemere, has the best steamed crabs in town. I haven’t tasted Maryland steamed crabs this good since Augie's Crab House, formerly of Millers Island, which went out of business a couple decades ago. Yes, in my opinion, they are that good.

Forget about paying the insanely high prices for crabs precooked by some overrated local restaurant or the extra surcharge you, as a consumer, have to pick up when purchasing anything from another local crab carryout place with your credit card.

There’s a new guy in town and he doesn't make you overpay for so-called ambience. Not Jimmy. He serves the best crabs, best quality, steams to order and he picks up the surcharge from the credit card companies.

Okay—so maybe he’s not that new, but he is the best. 

I met with Jimmy Foltz, who started Captain Jimmy’s Crab House in 2005. I was pleasantly welcomed by his staff who all wore a smile and their Captain Jimmy’s T-shirts.

Jimmy is a local guy from Fort Howard who graduated from Sparrows Point High School. He is the second generation commercial crabber in his family and has been a commercial crabber for 12 years. His father, 78-year-old Bob Foltz, continues to crab, and his 18-year-old son, John Foltz, seems to be following in the family tradition. 

I asked Jimmy if all his crabs were local. He said he crabs every day and that 98 percent of his crabs are straight from the bay.

Just about anywhere you go these days, you will find some sort of special. Captain Jimmy’s is no different. Wednesdays are always $1 crab day, but during the summer when crabs are plentiful, that special also runs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

I don’t know the secret to Jimmy’s seasoning, but he said, with a chuckle, that last year he probably sold as much seasoning as crabs.

I asked Jimmy what made him want to open a crab house.

His reply: “I’ve wanted to do it for a long time. I worked second-shift at Signodes for 14 years, and when that shift was no longer available, I decided to quit that job, which enabled me to open the crab house.”

Jimmy said he stayed open all year in 2010, but he will probably close around Thanksgiving this year.

So, if you have a taste for what I honestly believe are the best Maryland steamed crabs in town and the best seasoning since Augie’s, I highly recommend you try Captain Jimmy’s Crab House.

My husband and I recently had their steamed shrimp with onions for dinner one night. Not only does he have the best crabs in town, but I can now vouch for his steamed shrimp. 

Nothing says summertime in Maryland like steamed crabs, garden-ripe, home-grown tomatoes, corn on the cob, watermelon and a snowball.

Bon appetit, my fellow Dundalk and Edgemere friends.