Revenge of the crab

I took myself on a walk down to Poissonnerie Quoniam – Medard on Rue Mouffetard, looking to pick up some oysters or perhaps a crustacean or two. This fishmonger has a fine selection of high quality bivalves, including those from Omaha beach in Normandy. I had some of these recently at Sur Mer (53 Rue de Lancry, 75010), served with a spicy nam jim sauce which was unconventional yet delightful. The problem with Omaha beach oysters, though, is their association with the D Day landings.

I can never shake off that chat I had in a bar with an old woman who had grown up in the area. She described how, after the fighting had ended, the locals noticed that the crabs living in the bay had grown utterly enormous, fat from the flesh of soldiers who had been cut down by machine gun fire while trying to get out of the boats. Despite the size of these beasts, the locals didn’t want to eat them.

As I was contemplating this, I realised someone was watching me. A big crab, sat front and centre on the counter, like a ringmaster outside a circus. I got a little closer and squared up to him, wondering if on some deep level he knew that his ancestors might have eaten some of mine.

“I could buy you and cook you in a pot…” I said to the mocking crab. He didn’t flinch, and simply stared back at me in defiance.

Finally, he blew a little bubble for me, and when it popped I swear I heard it whisper the words:

“Bon appétit.”

Poissonnerie Quoniam – Medard : 135 Rue Mouffetard, 75005 Paris