A 1961 crab family steams to order by the Nassau Bridge

The Surfing Crab steams every crab to order at 16723 Coastal Highway in Lewes. The wait runs 20 to 30 minutes. A stainless steel hand-washing sink is bolted to the dining room wall for crab pickers.

Henry Vechery opened the Bethesda Crab House outside Washington in 1961. The family has been in hard crabs for the 65 years since. Around 2009, Donald Vechery carried the trade east. He took over the old Curley's barbecue building, on the right about ten seconds past the Nassau Bridge heading for the beach. Crabs come by the half dozen and the dozen in four sizes. Selects start at five and a half inches. Extra-larges run past seven. Every size is priced at market and quoted by your server.

The rest of the menu is short. Cream of crab soup runs $13.95. Crab dip, soft shells in season and fried oysters round it out. The Rehoboth Foodie called the crab cakes a big sleeper on the menu. The room is a modest converted barbecue joint with a bar.

What the reviews actually say

The Surfing Crab holds 4.5 on Google across some 1,120 reviews. That is the best steamed-crab rating between Rehoboth and the canal. The seasoning draws the most repeat praise. One reviewer described medium crabs as "so flavorful without being too salty." The all-you-can-eat option draws its own praise for value. "For about $69, you can have as much steam crabs as you can eat," one Google reviewer wrote. Reviewers on multiple platforms call it a good value even as crab prices climbed across the coast. The Rehoboth Foodie notes the house number on blues has stayed rather reasonable through the general increase.

The recurring complaint is pacing. Several all-you-can-eat reviewers describe slow service as their two-hour window ran down. Others describe brusque treatment near closing time. One alleges a manager who yelled at departing customers.

If you go

Go at opening: noon on weekends, 3 p.m. on weekdays. Order the crabs first thing. Let the cream of crab and the homemade cole slaw carry you through the steam wait. Ask the day's price by size before committing. The board moves with the catch. Most reviewers point to the dozen mediums as the best value. The crab cake covers anyone at the table not picking.

The house is seasonal. It closes midwinter, runs weekends in the shoulder months and is closed Tuesdays even in July. It sits in Lewes by address but draws its crowd from the whole Route 1 corridor. Summer weekends fill early. Call 302-644-4448 before making the drive and get the day's price on the same call.