Family creates mouthwatering dish made from invasive species: 'Let's eliminate the threat by eating them'

This is a situation where the advice to not "eat your problems away" definitely doesn't apply. 

A Weymouth, Massachusetts, father-daughter duo is taking on a ruthless invader, the European green crab, by turning the species into the delicious foundation for broth, the Patriot Ledger reported.

Sharon and Fred St. Ours' Crab Broth powder isn't just winning plaudits for its aid in the battle against a crustacean threatening the ecosystems on both coasts. The family's powder recently emerged from 68 products to finish as one of three finalists in the best new product for food service category at the Seafood Expo North America trade show, per the Patriot Ledger.

Given their backgrounds, it's no surprise that the St. Ourses were perfect for turning the green crabs into something tasty.

Fred's pedigree in making dehydrated clam broth for his company suits the task perfectly. Sharon, meanwhile, was motivated to help in the fight against green crabs after learning about them in 2019. After rejoining the family company in 2004, this was her chance to experiment after getting the go-ahead to explore green crabs as the foundation for a product. 

The company lays out the mission simply on their website: "Green crabs are an invasive species destroying our coasts. Let's eliminate the threat by eating them."

In the past, the family had hosted a high school student to formulate a stock out of green crab.

"They made an absolutely delicious stock, so we knew they were tasty and good," Sharon told the Patriot Ledger.

She sought new ways to kill, store, cook, and process green crabs, with Fred providing a helping hand and years of experience. After a year of trial-and-error, the green crab broth powder is nearly ready to hit the shelves in 20-ounce cans.

Since green crabs wreak havoc on the coastlines and threaten other species, this is welcome news. One adult female green crab can release a remarkable 185,000 eggs once or twice a year, per the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. 

Should the government be paying people to hunt invasive species? Definitely 👍 Depends on the animal 🤔 No way 👎 Just let people do it for free 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Once they're in place, green crabs decimate critical parts of the coastline such as eelgrass. That is worrisome for native shellfish, including famed New England delicacies like clams and lobsters. It's no wonder that many organizations are encouraging others to follow St. Ours' lead and find ways to turn them into food like some chefs have.

Invasive species like the green crab can devastate local ecosystems, and a growing remedy is to get them from nature to the table. Other examples of invaders being transformed into food include meats such as wild boar, seafood such as catfish, and plants such as creeping bellflower.

Sharon thinks the European green crab is even better-tasting than Maryland blue crabs, which make up a large chunk of canned crab products, per the Patriot Ledger.

"This crab is definitely more robust in flavor and very sweet," St. Ours said. That's great news for eaters and the planet alike.

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