You'll Smell Like Mermaid Farts, But It'll Be Worth It

Okay, let's just put it out there. If you choose to allow yourself to have this mind-blowing experience you will....YOU WILL....smell like mermaid farts. In my opinion, it'll be worth it.

Disclaimer: This is not for the faint of heart. This is not for everyone. There will be cracking, gushing, eyes watering, fingers stinging....butter, garlic, old bay...

...

...

...whoa, sorry I just passed out. Okay, I'm back. I'm back. I'm alright.

I am a big seafood lover. And I don't mean fish sticks or McDonald's fish sandwiches. I usually don't like food that's been stripped, pounded, packaged, floured and fried into an infinitely unrecognizable state. I like the WHOLE SHA-BANG (that's a Boiling Crab reference for all you other seafood boil lovers you). Gimme the shrimp, lobster, crab, crawfish...intact and all. It's an experience. My girls Jenna, Sue and Cass know what I'm talking about.

That's right. We're wearing bibs, and we look hot. In what other scenario can you say that?! I rest my case.

Seriously though, I love seafood boils and not just because of the spicy, seafoody goodness. I love the fact that they're interactive --- they give you something to do while you just hang out with friends and shoot the shit. Even better, you end up all having dirty hands, sauce all over your mouths and smell like garlic, so there's no pretense. There can't be. You already look ridiculous. That's such a cool thing to me as weird as that sounds. The only way I can explain it...I just love when you can have a good time with good friends. No filters needed. 

So I've tried many seafood boil establishments. You got your Joe's Crab Shacks and your Crab Huts. My all time favorite is the restaurant that introduced me to it all - Boiling Crab (My name is actually written in Sharpie on table #20 at the Mira Mesa location. It reads, "It took 2 hours for me to get this table. Love, Candice.")

This is my favorite place because the sauce is the thickest, most flavorful and I've found the seafood is the freshest and biggest. I ain't got time for puny shrimp. Jumbo all the way. 

In San Jose, you seriously have to wait an average of two hours to get a table. Here in San Diego, we're lucky. We don't have as big of an Asian community, so it's not as packed. The Boiling Crab in Mira Mesa is the spot. I just wish they'd bring in a better beer selection. They only have the lighter stuff: Shock Top, Blue Moon, Coors, etc. For now at least. 

Here's a good tip if you end up going to Boiling Crab and there's a pretty long wait. Go to the Japanese restaurant across the way and order an appetizer and a few drinks there. They're totally okay with it and actually expect it. Boiling Crab is so popular, they've admitted to me, a good portion of their business comes from Boiling Crab customers waiting to be seated and having a few drinks on them in the meantime. #NguyenNguyen

Okay, sleep time for me. Who food blogs about seafood at 2:30AM?! Goodnight y'all and happy eating.