After more than 75 years in business, the Harris Family continues to serve up the region’s specialty
Kent Island, Maryland, is steeped in history. Some area highlights are the first white settlement in Maryland, beach resorts, boating, and seafood processing. It’s common knowledge that the oyster industry took off in the late 1800s when train service and modern canning methods made oysters available to customers in New York City and beyond. There were hundreds of crab and oyster processing houses up and down the Delmarva Peninsula during the 19th and 20th centuries, where Harris Seafood is now the last year-round processor of crabs and oysters.
Captain Bill Harris started Harris Seafood in 1947 with help from his father, Holton. With a good work ethic and abundant opportunities, Bill prospered and opened Harris Crab House in 1981 on the land where his father Holton had an oyster processing house. The restaurant did so well that it was only a few years before it was expanded to the two-story waterfront eatery customers see today.
Harris Crab House and Harris Seafood are family affairs. I was told six family members work at the restaurant and seafood processing facility. Recently, the seafood processing part of the business was sold to Jason Ruth, a former employee, and this arm of the business continues to employ around 80 workers annually. With oysters processed year-round and crabs in the warm season, Harris Seafood is able to stay busy throughout the year—not an easy feat.
Harris Seafood sells live soft shell and hard shell crabs, either live or steamed. Most of their customers are grocery stores and large retailers like Sam’s Club. Jason told me, “We sell some of our seafood retail for walk-in customers, but it’s a small part of our business.”
Harris Crab House is still a family-owned restaurant. Bill Oertel is in charge nowadays and can often be seen at Dessert First, their coffee and dessert café next door, where his office is set up. It’s not often that you see a manager in the restaurant business working at a high-top table in the dining area during business hours, but Bill seems to like it. Who wouldn’t want to be close to delicious baked goods and freshly brewed Rise Up Coffee?
Harris Crab House gets all its oysters and as much local-caught crab as possible from Harris Seafood, along with Chesapeake Bay crab, oysters, and clams. To keep up with demand, additional sources for the restaurant include crabbers from Louisiana, South Carolina, and North Carolina. I was told, “Some of the crabbers we buy from in Louisiana have been selling to us for over 25 years!” Keeping it local, desserts are made in house and by a family friend who owns Piece of Cake, a bakery and restaurant on Kent Island.
Harris Crab House is an important employer on the Delmarva Peninsula. Bill reports processing tax documents for 179 employees last year, providing important full-time and part-time jobs for locals.
On my second visit, I saw the staff efficiently covering the two floors and outdoor tables during the lunch rush. Good weather and weekends seem to bring out the most customers.
Two bars, one upstairs and the other downstairs feature crushes, margaritas, mules, beer, and wine. The upstairs bar, The Pearl, a rooftop oyster bar, was recently renovated, adding large windows that open up to the Bay breeze when weather permits. The Pearl provides beautiful views and is popular on Thursdays for the Local’s Night happy hour from 5-8, prime time for spectacular sunsets.
The indoor dining areas and bars seat around 250, and outdoor tables seat an additional 200 customers. It’s fun to sit and watch the boats come and go while dining on some of the best seafood around. When you go, make sure to peruse the Today’s Special menu. I took Bill’s advice and had the crab and guacamole, crab and shrimp ceviche, and the crab stack sandwich, a combo with a crab cake and a soft shell crab, all from the special menu. It was a crab feast to remember, with the crab stack being one of the best sandwiches I’ve had in a long time.
Head Chef Luis Espejo is from Ecuador, a country known for their great seafood. He shows off his Ecuadorian roots in menu items like the crab and shrimp ceviche, crab guacamole, and blackened tuna. Chef Luis insists on making as many of the sauces, dressings, and other items from scratch and it shows. The tartar sauce is a favorite of loyal customers and was so good I asked for an extra portion to bring home. Speaking of taking their products home, don’t miss the cold case by the hostess station with several seafood products available for purchase.
Take time to peruse the dock in front of Dessert First to read about Chesapeake Bay and the seafood industry, the Harris family history, and even a guide to identifying boats of the Bay that I found interesting. With five generations in the past or currently working here, this business has staying power and stories to tell.
Harris Crab House
Dessert First Dockside Coffee & Desert Bar
433 Kent Narrow Way N,
Grasonville, Maryland
410-827-9500
www.HarrisCrabHouse.com
Open every day 11am-9pm
