How To Cook Live Crab Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Choosing and buying live crabs: If you are planning on cooking the crab at home and eating it straight from the shell, it is best to buy live crabs, for a better taste. Frozen crabs can also be bought, although frozen fish or seafood never quite tastes the same. Buy your crabs from a well-known and reputable fishmonger or as a second choice from a supermarket. If you are buying from the latter, make sure to find out how long the crabs have been in the tank. If it is longer than a week, they should really be avoided. Choose crabs that are lively and move about. They should smell fresh and salty, without any smell of fish and especially not ammonia. Never buy crabs that are dead, as the meat goes off really quickly and will most definitely be bad when you cook it. Do not buy any crabs if the meat looks off colour or dried out. If you are planning on preparing a crab dish following a recipe, check to see whether it specifies a male or female crab, as some recipes do. It is quite simple to differentiate between a male and female crab. The female crab has a triangle shaped area on the underneath part of the shell.
• 2. Defrosting a whole crab: If you have decided to purchase pre-cooked frozen crab, simply place it in the refrigerator overnight in order to defrost. If you need to defrost the crab quickly, wrap it in cling film and place it in a sink full of cold water. Do not use hot water. A two pound crab will defrost in one hour.
• 3. Boiling live crab: 1.) Pour 5 liters of water into a large saucepan and add around 5 tablespoons of sea salt. Bring to a rapid boil. 2.) Grasp the live crab by the back legs and drop it into the water headfirst. For a more humane method, as you grasp the crab by the legs, stroke the top of its head until it falls asleep and then slowly drop it into the boiling water. 3.) Bring the water back to the boil and only then start timing. 4.) You should cook large crabs (about 2lb) for around 15 - 20 minutes, whilst smaller crabs will only need around 8 - 10 minutes. 5.) Once the water has started to boil again, reduce the heat and simmer for the required time. The crab's shell should turn a bright orange when done. 6.) When the crabs are done, immerse them for a few seconds in cold water so that cooking stops and they do not overcook. 7.) Serve immediately with hot melted butter or let the crabs cool down in their shell until they are cool enough for you to remove the meat and refrigerate it until further use. Crabs are also delicious cold.
• 4. Steaming live crab: 1.) In a large pot or steamer pour 1 cup of vinegar, 2 cups of beer or water and 2 tablespoons of salt, so that you have 3 - 4 inches of liquid. 2.) Bring the liquid to a rapid boil. 3.) As the liquid is heating up, place the live crabs into the freezer or into a large bowl of ice water for about 3 minutes. This is done to stun the crabs before cooking, and it keeps their legs and claws intact through the steaming process. 4.) Once the liquid is boiling fiercely, place the live crabs onto a steaming rack situated well above the liquid, sprinkle them with seasoning and cover the pot with the lid. 5.) Steam over a medium - hot heat for at least 20 minutes depending on the size and numbers of crab. 6.) Start timing once the water is boiling again. The crabs should turn a bright red or orange colour when done. 7.) Remove the crabs and rinse under cold water, which will also stop the cooking process. Serve hot.
• 5. Storing live crab: If you are buying live crabs, it is best to consume them when they are as fresh as possible, preferably on the same day, although they will keep safe in the fridge for up to two days. Put the live crabs in a bowl or a container where they can still breathe and cover them with damp paper towels or a damp cloth. Place them in a cold area of your refrigerator until you are ready to use them. Check on your crabs from time to time whilst they are in the fridge, as if they die, they should really be cooked immediately.
• 6. Storing cooked crab meat: Freshly cooked crab meat is tastiest when eaten on the same day, however it can be stored in the fridge for up to two days. The cooked meat should be removed from the shell beforehand (see below). Cooked crab meat can be frozen and will keep for four months. Make sure that it is tightly wrapped in cling film or placed in an airtight container before freezing. If you choose you can add a layer of salted water (brine) to ensure freshness on defrosting.
• 7. Removing crab meat from the shell: First of all, twist the legs and claws until they come away and leave them to one side. Then separate the body from the shell by pushing the body upwards until it pops out of the shell. Throw away the stomach sac, mouth, intestines and the gills and then scoop and scrape out the brown meat. You may want to crack open and split the body into two or four parts to access the meat more easily. Then go back to the legs and claws. Crack the claws and split the legs and remove the succulent white meat. Any juices from the shells can be saved and used to make a fish stock, sauce or soup. Enjoy your crab!
• 8. To steam crab legs: 1.) Pour 2 cups of water in a steamer or a large pot, add 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to the boil. 2.) Add the crab legs, placing them onto a rack in the bottom of the pan or into the steaming basket. 3.) As the water starts to boil again, begin timing. 4.) Steam the crab legs for between 5 - 7 minutes, until you can begin to smell their aroma and until they are warm. Take care not to overcook the legs as they have already been cooked once. 5.) Remove from the heat and serve hot with melted butter and lemon wedges.
• 9. To boil crab legs: 1.) Half fill a large saucepan with cold water and add a tablespoon of sea salt and seasoning if you wish. 2.) Bring the water to the boil and then drop the crab legs in. 3.) Reduce the heat slightly and allow the crab legs to simmer and heat up for 5 - 7 minutes. 4.) Remove from the water and rinse the crab legs. Serve hot.
• 10. To bake crab legs: 1.) Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). 2.) Crack the whole crab legs and place them on a baking tray. 3.) Brush the crab legs with butter or oil, seasoning and lemon juice and bake in the oven for 8 - 9 minutes.
• 11. To microwave crab legs: 1.) Wrap the crab legs in a damp paper towel and cook on high for 2 - 3 minutes. Serve hot with butter, cocktail sauce or lemon wedges.

Steps:

• Dungeness crab is a true Pacific Coast food: It's found only in the Pacific Ocean, and it gets its name from the town of Dungeness, Washington. The local crab season is summer, and that's when my boys and I go crabbing almost every day, filling the round metal crab pots with raw chicken and dropping them in the cold water, returning the next day to see what we've caught. We never know just how many crabs will take the bait, and it's a family tradition to guess how many will be in each pot. Bringing our catch back to the kitchen and preparing for our feast is the best part. Because we never know how much crab we'll get, we plan the meal after the catch. You just have to go with what you have. If you wanted to make crab cakes but find that you don't have enough meat, make something else: crab cocktail, crab soup, or Dungeness crab mac and cheese. If you adapt your dishes to the ingredients, cooking becomes a lot more relaxing and a lot more fun.
• Dungeness crabs have been part of the Northwest's seafood heritage for the millennium. The dark brown crabs that are brought to market usually weigh 1 to 2 pounds and up and measure at least 6 1/4 inches across. By law, only the male crabs can be caught, and thanks to careful fishery management and high reproductive rates, Dungeness are among the most sustainable shellfish in the world.
• If you've ever cooked a live crab and tasted the sweet meat, you'll know that steaming crabs yourself makes a big difference in the flavor. I realize I am very lucky-not everyone has the Pacific Ocean as their backyard. If you don't have access to live crabs, look for high-quality cooked lump crabmeat from Dungeness, blue, peekytoe, or snow crabs. Lump crabmeat refers to whole pieces of white meat from the body of the crab, while flake refers to white and dark meat from the body and claws of the crab. The crab should be in large pieces, not shredded, and should be refrigerated. Most specialty markets and grocery stores sell untreated crab, which is what you want.
• Much of the cooked crabmeat sold in stores is now treated with calcium disodium EDTA, a preservative that helps retard crystal formation. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has placed this preservative on its priority list of additives to study, and Australia has already outlawed it. Canned crab usually has added preservatives, so check the label carefully. When using precooked crabmeat, taste it first to make sure it is not excessively salty. If it is, rinse the meat to get rid of some of the salt.
• If you're using live crab, don't be shy in asking the fishmonger for crabs with all the legs and claws intact; that's where the meat is. It's important to keep them cool and moist until cooking by keeping the wrapped crabs in the refrigerator or covering them with wet newspaper.
• Live crabs are rambunctious, but preparing them isn't as hard as it seems. You have a couple of options. First, you can bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, drop in the crab, cover the pot, and cook for 20 minutes. But just as chefs have found alternate ways of quickly killing and cooking lobsters to get the sweetest-tasting meat, I prefer to deliver a quick, fatal blow with a rolling pin to the breastplate on the underside of the crab. Then I prepare, steam, and shell the crab as follows. I find that cleaning the crab before you cook it results in the sweetest meat.
• Reach among the legs to place your hands on either side of the body with your thumbs on the breastplate. Holding onto the crab, push your thumbs forward and pull the legs of the crab together, bending the crab in half. Then grip the crab firmly and open your arms to pull the halves apart, leaving the main outer shell intact. Hold the broken edge of both halves under running water or salt water to rinse the guts and pith away. Reserve the crab shells for crab stock. The crab is now ready to cook. Because this is a messy process, it's best to prepare the crabs over the sink if you can't clean them right on the beach or off the side of a boat.
• When you steam instead of boil the meat, the crab is white, tender, and succulent, without any fishy aroma or slimy texture. Cook the crab by heating about 1 cup water in a large pot with a vegetable or pasta steamer insert. Over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the crab halves and steam them for about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how many you're cooking, until the meat is opaque and the shells turn dark orange. Remove the steamed crab from the pot and set them aside to cool.
• Once the crab has cooled, pick out the meat from the body, legs, and claws. Place the crabmeat in a bowl and pick through it by hand to ensure no shell is left in the meat. Try to keep the pieces as intact as possible. The crabmeat will keep, covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days after you cook it. Three whole Dungeness crabs yield about 1 1/2 pounds crabmeat.

Steps:

• Start by making a flavoured stock called a court bouillon. Roughly chop the leeks, carrots, onion, celery stick and fennel bulb. Put in a large saucepan or stockpot with the garlic, and herbs.
• Add the rock salt, sliced lemon, white wine vinegar, star anise and wine. Add 3 litres water, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 mins. Cool and strain the liquid into a jug, discarding the vegetables.
• Return the liquid to the pot and bring back to the boil. Lower in the crab and simmer for 12 mins per kg, then leave to cool in the pot until cold.
• To prepare the crab, lay the crab on its back and twist off the front black-tipped claws. These contain most of the white meat. Put the crab on its back with the eyes towards you and, using both hands, push up the six legs. Press your two thumbs either side of the eyes and push away the 'purse' (that is the central body part).
• On the underside you will see a circle of grey feathery gills called dead men's fingers. It is crucial to pull these off and discard. They should not be eaten. Then, using a heavy knife, cut the round purse into four. This exposes the white meat, which can be picked out.
• Pull off the knuckles from the claws and pick out the meat with a skewer or small, sharp knife. Place the large claws on a worktop and cover with a clean towel. Smash down with the back of a heavy knife or mallet until the shell cracks. As an alternative method, placing a wooden board on top of the crab, then hitting the board with a large hammer, also works well. Peel off the cracked shell to extract the meat inside. There is a thin blade bone in the centre, which should be discarded - be careful, it is sharp. You can also push the meat out using your thumbs and fingers, checking at the same time for any stray bits of shell.
• Pull off the 6 legs. Extracting meat from the legs is fiddly, so unless you really need the meat, save them for a bisque.
• To check that there is no shell left in the white crabmeat, sprinkle the crab over a metal tray - you will be able to hear if any shell is left in.
• Using a teaspoon, scrape out the brown meat inside the main body shell, both soft and hard. Place in a sieve and rub through into a bowl using the back of a wooden spoon.

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 cup seafood seasoning, salt, beer, and vinegar in a large stockpot over high heat. Bring to a strong simmer.
• Right before cooking, carefully place each crab upside down and stick a knife through the shell, just behind mouth.
• Fit a screen over the beer mixture and layer the crabs on the screen. Be sure that the crabs are above the simmering liquid. Cover.
• Steam crabs until they turn bright orange and all of the blue/green color is gone, 20 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup seafood seasoning before serving.