By ROBIN DOHRN-SIMPSON

A good Louisiana boil includes spreading out a big piece of paper over a table, full of friends and family, and then tossing corn, potatoes, and a variety of seafood onto it. This is the time to eat with your hands — with or without plastic gloves — and dig in. Sip and slurp. Break a crab leg open and suck out the meaty goodness, perhaps with alternating sips of southern traditional sweetened green tea or sweetened black tea, lemonade or a craft beer. While New Orleans is the epicenter of this type of gastronomic abandon, The Crab Pub, right here in San Diego does the tradition proud.

Seafood options

The College Area restaurant located at 6011 El Cajon Blvd. has all your favorite seafood: Dungeness crab cluster, whole blue crab, king crab legs, snow crab legs, crawfish (with corn and sausage), shrimp, clams or mussels. Try a variety of combinations of a couple of different types of seafood. A pound of crab combined with a pound of crawfish or a pound of king crabs and a pound of mussels. These combinations include corn, potatoes and four pork sausages.

Next, pick your spice level to enhance the flavors. Perhaps try the well-known Old Bay seasoning mix that includes celery salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and paprika.

Try something else

Not into a boil or seafood? No problem. There are other options like New England clam chowder, gumbo and rice. Try a basket such as chicken wings, fried catfish, fried calamari, fried oysters, fried pickles, fried okra, or fried green beans. All baskets include spiced Cajun fries.

The Crab Pub is located on the corner of College Avenue and El Cajon Boulevard, Enter in and enjoy the “shipboard” ambiance. Don’t mind the shark with a crab in its mouth hanging from the ceiling.

If you like Louisiana cuisine, this is your kind of place. Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

— Robin Dohrn-Simpson is a San Diego-based food and travel writer. Reach her at [email protected] or visit www.robindohrnsimpson.com.