McDonald's is testing out a "snow crab sandwich" in San Francisco and I have SO MANY QUESTIONS!
1. YAY snow crab!
2. Wait, is it really snow crab Chionoecetes opilio? "Snow crab" could be Chionoecetes bairdi aka Tanner crab, or something else.
3. Is it 100% "snow crab" or a mix like those nasty, nasty lobster rolls?
4. Shoot, is this just another waste of good meat that should be happily dipped in garlic butter? Do I hold crab, even snow crab, to the same high standard of lobster? Because I love crab dip so much, do I really have room to judge a crab sandwich? (No. The answer is No.)
5. Opies and Tanners are having a rough time, population-wise, in the Bering Sea, with both stocks in decline and the Tanner fishery not even opened. If this sandwich does well, how will the demand of a fast food empire affect the snow crab market? Bering Sea opilio price-per-pound is already high (over $8.00 compared to last year's $5.90) because of the decline in population and subsequent decline in fishery production.
If you are in the Bay Area and are feeling adventurous, try out the new sandwich and let me know what you think!
