For years Dungeness crab and Christmas have gone hand-in-hand for many Northern Californians.
And Hollister residents don't have to travel far to find good crab. Joe Aliotti, who owns Papa Joe's Fresh Fish, is at his Running Rooster location year-round on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but offers cooked crab during the holidays when demand is high. Aliotti's expertise in seafood comes from a family fishing history in America stretching back to the 1930s.
More and more Hollister residents are learning who Papa Joe is.
"I have a lot of new customers," Aliotti said. "That's what has me worried for Christmas."
In addition to many new customers, Aliotti frequently sees his regulars.
Roger Scott, who lives in San Benito County outside of San Juan Bautista, stopped in the day before Thanksgiving to buy some smoked salmon. He has known Aliotti for four years, first meeting him at the Hollister Farmer's Market.
Scott and Aliotti joked with each other.
"He did convince me that I didn't want to be a fisherman," Scott said.
Scott said his family buys their seafood from Aliotti almost exclusively.
"We do all our shopping in little places like this," Scott said.
Last year a crabbing strike left Aliotti with only 300 pounds of crab for Thanksgiving. The shortage left some Hollister residents disappointed.
Richard Rodriguez, of Hollister, said his family always has crab for the holidays. In 2005, Rodriguez stopped by Papa Joe's to buy crab for Thanksgiving, but Aliotti was sold out.
"It's hard to find fresh seafood," Rodriguez said. "Especially here in Hollister."
Bob and Susan Killian, of Hollister, had stopped in to buy crab the day before Thanksgiving. The Killians have been eating crab during the holidays for years, they said, and were taking a few of Aliotti's crabs to Los Gatos for family.
"We come here all the time," Bob Killian said.
"We're big crab eaters," Susan Killian added.
Charles Mann, of San Juan Bautista, said his family has an afternoon crab feast every year. Mann bought six crabs from Aliotti for Thanksgiving.
"We usually always try to do crab right between Christmas and New Year's," Mann said.
Aliotti sold 900 pounds of crab the week of Thanksgiving. But the highest demand is during Christmas, he said.
"You come here the day before Christmas Eve and the line is out the door," Aliotti said.
That line is long enough for Aliotti to sell 1,300 pounds of crab on the two days before Christmas Eve. As of Wednesday, Aliotti had already filled orders for 800 pounds, he said.
Aliotti will be deftly disassembling crabs by hand for two straight days, giving the crabs what Aliotti calls "a shave and a haircut," leaving them cleaned and ready to eat.
And there should be plenty of crab to go around.
Dungeness crab is one of California's healthiest and most profitable fisheries. In 2005-06, a near-record 23 million crabs worth $38.5 million were landed, and state biologists expect another bountiful season. About 80 percent of the fishery's landings are made in the first two weeks of the eight-month season, said Carrie Wilson, a biologist with the Department of Fish and Game.
For the pre-Christmas Eve onslaught, Aliotti brings help.
"Mother-in-law, father-in-law, wife, two cousins: Italian imports," Aliotti said.
A picture of the Aliottis' sardine purse seiner, Christina Maria, hangs on the back wall of Papa Joe's space. At the prow of the purse seiner is Aliotti's father, Sal Aliotti. At the stern, loaded down with 30 tons of sardines, sits Aliotti and his brother, Sal Jr.
Sal Aliotti came to America from Italy when he was 16 years old in 1931 and began fishing sardines on the Monterey Bay. It didn't take long for the younger Aliotti to follow in his footsteps.
"I started fishing when I was 16 on the Monterey Bay," Aliotti said. "Everybody from the old country came here - fishing sardines, fishing salmon."
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or mvancassell@freelancenews.com.
Michael Van Cassell Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335.
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