About 9,834 days before the quarantine, my family and I decided to try one of the “Juicy”, or “Juicy” places popping up around us. There are at least three within a 3-mile radius from my house. When trying to decide which one I should try, I looked online but ended up letting the health department grade make the decision. We went to the one that is in the old Squealer’s in Castleton–officially Juicy Crab Seafood Indy.
Here’s the deal about the “Juicy” service. I didn’t know what to expect, other than crab. The idea is that they serve your choice of shellfish in a huge plastic bag with a variety of spices and seasonings. There are four choices: garlic butter, lemon pepper, Cajun, Juicy Crab special, and Cajun. Each bag includes potatoes and one ear of corn. For $1.75, you can add 2 boiled eggs to each bag or 1/2 pound sausage.
There are many combinations available if you’re looking for a variety of seafood. Or you can share. The Dungeness crab is my favorite shellfish, along with soft-shell crab. So when I saw it, I knew I had to have it. The three-lobster tail dinner is $30 more expensive than the Dungeness, but it is still the most expensive. The legs are almost as big as a whole crab, and the crab was delicious. The crab was excellent quality. I used the Juicy Crab lemon butter seasoning with low spice levels. Although the seasoning was good, it had a very greasy taste. If I was to go again, and it is possible, I would ask for dry seasonings. I would also have it steam in a bag with extra lemons. Perhaps a bit of garlic butter to dip it in. I found the corn to be very inedible. It was super squishy, but that’s to be expected. They were boiled potatoes. They were good. They shake the mixture before they give it to them.
Hubby also bought one of the combo bags. It contained Juicy Crab, lobster tails and shrimp with heads (you can choose to have either on or off). He also added sausage. Although the crawfish was disappointing, the lobster and shrimp were good. The sausage was a hit with him. He also tried the Cajun seasoning. He liked my Cajun seasoning better, both the seafood and the seasoning. He would probably be happy to share some Dungeness with some sausage.
The children chose to eat the fried side of our menu. Although it seemed like a poor choice, it was actually quite good. They shared some of ours. My daughter chose the fried whitefish basket ($11), and my son had the fried shrimp-tilapia combo ($12). For starters, we had buffalo wings ($6) as well as hush puppies ($3.50). My son loves buffalo wings and orders them from every place that offers them. My daughter found the bones in her fish a little too hard, but my son loved his fried platter with wings and the wings. The hush puppies were disappointing, I think. My son claimed that his was not as good as mine, but he stated that he would still eat it if he had some crab.
The whole place has a very interesting atmosphere. It’s a bit of foreshadowing, I suppose. You don’t need to worry about people touching your food because it’s in plastic bags. My daughter was disturbed by the negative impact that so many large plastic bags have on the environment. I can’t deny she was right. It’s nice to know there is a place where Dungeness crab can be purchased. Although I believe everyone would return, I’m not sure when.
It’s a mix of Red Lobster and Joe’s Crabshack in terms of decor. It was also packed on Sundays. We had to wait. They were probably short of servers because the service was slow and uneventful. Our server was very friendly and helpful when we ordered. However, I was curious if you did pick up Juicy crab from them or if they just gave you the big, poofy plastic bag.
