'Watts for Dinner’: Crabby Lady – fine dining, Goodland-style

Our next dining destination is Crabby Lady in Goodland.

Things got off to an appetizing start with the fried pesto sticks ($7.99) and the firecracker shrimp ($9.99).

The pesto sticks feature melted mozzarella and pesto sauce wrapped in a wonton. It looks a lot like an eggroll and gets an ‘A’ for originality. It’s a great mix of subtle flavors and worth a try.

The firecracker shrimp are huge breaded shrimp – it tastes like a mix of corn meal and flour in the breading. What makes the firecracker is the buffalo-like sauce that’s served on the side.

More:'Watts for Dinner’ the Takeout Edition: Jackie's Chinese Restaurant

We also sampled the restaurant’s “Famous” seafood bisque ($7.99 for a bowl). Another unique dish. I usually don’t like seafood-based soups, but this one’s a real winner.

For my main entrée, I had the fettuccine alfredo ($14.99). You can add grilled or blackened chicken for $4 or blackened shrimp for $6. I added the latter and was surprised to get almost a dozen shrimp. That’s a good deal. Love the spices (tastes like a nice coating of Arthur Treachers). The sauce was thick and delicious. A real pleaser.

My partner in dine had the scallop dinner ($26.99). You can get them blackened, fried or sauteed. He chose blackened. His meal included a mix of vegetables and a baked potato. In addition to the scallops, the potato got a huge thumbs up.

The menu says all meals are served with a salad and dinner roll. We never saw any rolls, or asked about them, but the salad was a nice addition.

This was our first visit since March 2020, just before the world came to a halt. One of my favorite things during that visit was the blue crab dip ($12.99); homemade crab dip served with pita points and tortilla chips. Very delicious. Unfortunately, the crab is not necessary, as cheesy is the overwhelming taste. And that’s ok. The tortilla chips were incredible.

Fort Myers:‘Watts for Dinner’: Bahama Breeze offers a taste of the Caribbean

My entrée that visit was the shrimp basket ($16.99). You can pick grilled, blackened or fried.

My dining companion had the mahi, mahi special with French fries.

I first visited the Crabby Lady in July 2018. During that visit we sampled Joe’s crab balls. One was quite a bit larger than the other, but I hear that’s perfectly normal. Even though the look was not so appealing, the taste was another story. The mix of spices with the lump crab meat make for a very delightful foray into this crabby world we entered.

I ordered the crab wrap – I mean, when in Rome – which was accompanied with cole slaw. It was a bit juicy, but nothing this taco-lover couldn’t handle by looping one end of the wrap closed with my thumb.

The crab was fresh and tasty in all its forms.

Ninety percent of the tables come with a water view and the atmosphere here remains pure Goodland; and that’s a good thing. Happy eating!

More:Hey Marco Island, looking for a place to eat?

This newspaper pays for all meals related to dining reviews. We do not solicit or accept free food. Not all dishes are featured in print, but you can find a gallery of all reviewed dishes online at marconews.com.

If you go

Crabby Lady

• 123 Bayshore Way, Goodland
• 239-500-2722
• crabbylady.com