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In the broader sense of national advertising, Cajun cooking usually just means "hot". If you are ever fortunate enough to dine with a native Acadian, though, you will find that the food is not overwhelmingly spicy. It's got a kick, to be sure, but it's more than just adding Tobasco sauce and cayenne peppers.

Couple more notes. The vinegar is just to make the crab meat a little easier to remove from the shells. We don't use it for shrimp, and you may not need it for lobster. Also, the corn will absorb spice faster than the potatoes or crab, so don't overdue the spice.

We just use Zatarain's crab/shrimp boil seasoning, but many here have their own secret recipes. Most involve the addition of onions, lemons, or oranges and beer.

Here's my favorite on grilled grouper or snapper, if you like a sweet/spicy combination. Very good for keeping light flavored fish from drying out on the grill, without the strong taste of some marinades. I wouldn't use it on something like amberjack that tends to have a stronger taste.

1 cup of Apricot preserves
1-2 tsp of crushed (not powdered) red pepper
2 tsp of Soy sauce
2 tsp vegetable oil.

Add all ingredient to a small pot and heat on the stove until the preserves melt into a thick sauce. Stir well to make sure the red pepper is evenly distributed throughout the thicker appricot preserve.

Brush periodically on each side of the fish while grilling. Add more to suit just before serving.

Very good on grilled shrimp too.

Crab boils are one of my favorite ways to waste an afternoon, and some of my fondest memories as a kid on the northern Gulf coast. For 18-20 nice blue crabs, we bring a pot of saltwater to a boil, and add a bit of vinegar and hot seasoning to taste. Add small red "new potatoes" and boil for ten minutes. Then add corn on the cob and blue crabs and boil it all for ten more minutes. Turn off the heat and let is sit for a few more minutes if you want it to absorb more spice. Then take it all out, spread it over a big picnic table, and eat. Plenty of meat in the claws and body, but I don't mess with the legs.

Not a "high yield" as you would say, but a nice way to eat a SLOW paced meal out on the dock. Picking the meat out takes a little time, so it's mostly a social thing.

- Discard the water.

Sorry, a little off topic for the Puerto Rico forum.

We called them "ghost crabs" in Alabama. I never thought about them being edible, as the ones we caught were typically smaller. Or maybe a different species, but from the photo very similar. There is a sandy barrier island just offshore of Dauphin Island (south of Mobile, AL) where we occasionally camped. Those things were everywhere at night.

I have wondered about that arrangement myself. Does it have any redeeming qualities? Maybe the shooting line is less likely to tangle in the bands? Or maybe as bands snap forward they could affect the rear end of the shaft less due to the extende muzzle? Or maybe, as you say, it is only for looks.

I forgot about the "Euro spike"! That's a much more elegant installation on the second gun pictured. I guess you give up a minimal amount of band stretch, but you also greatly reduce the weight of the spike, which is probably for the best most of the time.

Just curious. I think that everyone on this forum knows what an amazing fishing and diving opportunity the offshore oil and gas rigs along the Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas coasts present. Althought the 4000 or so rigs came through hurricanes Katrina and Rita without a single significant spill (at least as far as I am aware all the storm related spills were at refineries on land), there are always potential risks.

Would you support the placement of oil or gas drilling rigs in Federal waters off the coast(s) of Florida? Why or why not?