![]() ![]() Crab legs need to be steamed for 5 minutes. Return the water to a boil, then add the crab legs. Mix in some Old Bay, salt, oil, and beer. For thawed crab legs, this should take four or five minutes, but if you started with frozen legs, add a few more. Leave the lid on the pot and let the legs steam for a few minutes to warm them up. Put the crab legs in the steamer basket and start the water boiling. ![]() The steaming process only brings out the superficial flavor. The crab absorbs more of the flavorful cooking liquid during the boiling process. Is it better to steam or boil Blue Crabs? The whole recipe can be ready in 20 minutes. Notes: Steamed crab with ginger, For the perfect dinner party dish, serve these steamed swimmer crabs. Crab can be served either chilled or at room temperature with some mayonnaise, salad, and utensil bowls.Add some salt and pepper, then drizzle on some olive oil and squeeze on some lemon juice. Mix fennel, chervil, and radicchio for the salad.If more salt is needed, add it now and put it in the fridge. To make the mayonnaise, combine the egg yolks, vinegar, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.Confirm the internal temperature of the meat, and transfer to a serving dish. Prepare crabs by steaming them for 5-10 minutes, depending on their size. Crabs should be steamed in a large steamer over a pot of boiling water with the addition of lemongrass, ginger, coriander, and basil.Use a rolling pin or some other heavy implement to crush the lemongrass in half lengthwise to help release its flavors. Split the crabs down the middle with a sturdy knife. The crabs' feathery gills and shells must be removed first.Having a crab feast is a lot of fun and it is a shame to miss it because you are crab-wary! Now everyone has a slightly different crab picking style but this is all you really need to get the most out of your crabs. So I waited until we had crabs again and tried again with much more success. I had tried to take pictures of the picking process at the time but it is hard enough to photograph yourself but covered in seafood seasoning? Nearly impossible. After that post, I got quite a few requests for a how to pick crabs post. Last year I posted a how to steam crabs that was well received. However, I realize that this isn’t true of many people, my husband included. Steamed hard shell blue crabs are a staple here in Baltimore and I think us natives possess innate knowledge of how to pick crabs. If this doesn’t yield meat, hit it with your mallet. The other half of the claw has meat as well. Hold both sides of the crab claw and break off the part that I am holding in my fingers. Again, some people use butter or crab knives but I find that fingers work just fine. Pull out any loose crabmeat and eat it.Ĭrack the halves and extract the meat. The yellow stuff is colloquially known as the “mustard” and is edible.Ĭrack the crab in two. The easiest way is to use both hands and pull the crab halves in opposite directions. Simply slip your finger under the edge of the point and pull down. Some people use a butter knife for this but I am a purist and only use my hands. There is not much meat (if any) in the legs so I just push them aside. Some times a bit of crabmeat will come off with the legs or claw. Try and get one that has both claws and feels “heavy” before someone else does.īend or twist the legs and claws to snap them off at the body. If not, resign yourself to cleaning the floor afterwards. It really is best to do this outside on a picnic table if at all possible. Also, it is not uncommon to cut your finger on a shell but it is generally no worse than a papercut.Ĭover a large dining surface with a thicker than you would think layer of newspaper. If you want to serve other food, I suggest serving it before or after the crabs.Īvoid touching your eyes while picking, seafood seasoning burns. I find it is difficult to eat anything but crabs while you are picking unless you’re willing to get up and wash your hands frequently. Unless you are a professional, plan to spend the bulk of an afternoon or evening picking crabs. The size difference between medium and large is often slight but the price difference is frequently about $10 a dozen. I recommend getting at least the medium size. ![]() They can be very expensive (especially if you buy them already steamed) and the price difference between the sizes can be significant. Crabs are sold by size: small, medium, large, jumbo and occasionally colossal. ![]()
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