Finding Seafood, Far From the Sea

One might think that due to Centreville's location in the middle of the Virginia suburbs, good seafood—specifically, crab meat—would be hard to find. The reality is quite the contrary. 

Centreville's along with others in the franchise, recently added soft-shell crabs—in season just once a year—to their menu. They recently invited a reporter for a tasting (full disclosure: free of charge) to try their main dish, the Maryland Stuffed Soft Shell Crab Dinner. Their specialty is to add a creamy lemon caper sauce on top of a jumbo crab. The result is a zesty lemon taste on top of hot meat that's every bit as fresh as Bonefish claims. The taste of pepper is quite strong but stays complimentary, not overwhelming. Though the batter on top the outside shell is crunchy, the meat itself remains soft. 

On the side is a medley consisting of zucchini, peppers broccoli and other fresh veggies. They are cooked just long enough to stay slightly crunchy, and go well with a little bit of lemon sauce poured on top. 

This is the last week the restaurant will offer the dish, called the Fresh Maryland Stuffed Soft Shell Crab Dinner. At $18.90 it isn't cheap, but it's for a whole crab, so the meal is very filling. The last day to try the dish out this year is on June 6th.