Pictured: The Anna Maria Oyster Bar Seafood Tower Centerpiece. Photo courtesy of Oysters Rock Hospitality

Crabapalooza is back at Anna Maria Oyster Bar (AMOB), thanks in large part to the diners. The seafood extravaganza launched earlier this month, two years since its glowing 2023 debut. “Guests loved it, guests raved over this, guests have asked us to bring it back,” says Marketing Coordinator Taylor Escobar.

The coastal comfort chic atmosphere of the UTC location sets the stage. Seafoam jellyfish lights dangle from wooden crab traps; teal fish-scale tiles wrap a curved bar as open garage doors beckon the breeze. It’s a vivacious backdrop for Chef Will Parard’s limited-time seasonal menu.

Front and center-table: a two-tiered, six-serving seafood tower coddling raw Gulf oysters, snow crab legs and a lavish pound of peel-and-eat shrimp. Alongside, but refusing to be upstaged, is a scrumptious trio of tuna poke, fish dip and shrimp ceviche. House-crafted sauces—including a sharp multi-mustard, piquant chimichurri and zesty mignonette—ramp up the show. “It’s a crowd favorite, for sure,” says Kim Cartano, Director of Brand Strategy & Marketing.

On the warmer side, the customizable Seafood Boil offers a feast of snow crab, mussels and shrimp tossed in your preferred seasoning—Old Bay, Tajin, “The Works”—and sauces from garlic butter to tequila lime. The bar keeps pace with punchy cocktails like the Passionfruit Spritz, uniting Aperol with Chinola passionfruit liqueur. The Mai Oh Mai Tai brings that “Oh My!” with an aged rum-forward pour and fresh lime, holding its own against a saline feast. Cartano, a Maryland-native who personally signed off on the crab cake, sees the event as “a way to say: you know what, let’s celebrate all things crabs, oysters, AMOB, and have something fun we can share throughout the season.”

Best of all, your indulgence is eco-friendly. Through Manatee County’s “Shuck n’ Shell” program, every oyster shell gets collected, sun-cured and returned to rebuild local reefs. (Approximately forty tons are diverted from landfills annually.) As Cartano puts it: “We’re helping the ecology by serving the oysters.” The perfect excuse to order another dozen.

Catch Crabapalooza Feb 10- April 20 across all six AMOB locations. UTC: Sun-Thurs 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm, 5405 University Pkwy, Bradenton.

Pictured: The Anna Maria Oyster Bar Seafood Tower Centerpiece. Photo courtesy of Oysters Rock Hospitality