Once considered “trap trash” (unwanted bycatch in the lobster fishery), the peekytoe crab has become coveted table treasure, thanks to a Maine seafood entrepreneur’s clever marketing campaign and the species’ delicate, sweet flavor. Known in Down East Maine dialect as “picket toe” or “picked toe,” the crab was dubbed “peekytoe” by Rod Mitchell of Browne Trading Co. in Portland, Maine. Novelty and quality combined to make the new product a smash hit. Because peekytoe crabs cannot be shipped live, the meat must be meticulously hand picked. As a result, the crab is the basis for one of the few “cottage” seafood industries left in the United States. Only a handful of processors in Maine and Canada specialize in peekytoe, which only adds to the product’s allure. Although technically a rock crab species found from Labrador to Florida, “peekytoes” originally referred only to rock crabs caught in Down East Maine’s Penobscot Bay. However, as peekytoe fever caught on with chefs and diners, sourcing expanded to include rock crabs from Nova Scotia to Rhode Island. There is no dedicated peekytoe fishery; the crabs are still a lobster-fishery bycatch, with peak availability in summer.