How to cook crab?

[diam124]

DH and I have no idea how to eat crab (and we live in MD of all places!), so friends of ours have decided they need to teach us. There is a great fresh crab place by our house, so I figure I'll buy the crabs and cook them and then they can show us how to eat them.

The only problem is I have no idea how to cook them! I'm guessing they're just steamed, but does anyone have any tips?

[Ericka_Jarett]

We use to catch blue crabs all the time. Dad would bring a big pot of water to a boil along with Old Bay Seasoning and then drop the crabs in to cook for about 6 minutes or so. They go in the water alive, as once they die they go bad quickly if not cooked. After cooking make sure to take them out of the water to drain (we used a cooling rack usually, as we were cook about 4-5 lbs at a time) After they are cooked we would then go about cleaning them of their shell and taking the crab legs off.

http://www.ochef.com/156.htm
http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-cook-seafood-cooking4.htm

[lisariv]

I've been here in MD my whole life. Growing up, we always steamed them at home. My parents still almost always steam their own. However, assuming you're not buying them from the back of a truck or a pier, just have the place you get them steam them for you. Seriously, it will save you the trouble and they know how to do it just right. The last thing you want to do is spend all that money and over cook them. (Also, you might want to call ahead to reserve the size you want. It's not uncommon for places to sell out of the good stuff.) HTH!

[diam124]

That's a good idea lisariv - so if we get them already cooked do we need to heat them up?

[SingleWhiteFemale]

That's a good idea lisariv - so if we get them already cooked do we need to heat them up?If I pick them up at Giant, they steam them there, and they're still quite warm by the time I get home. I have them put them in the plastic containers (usually the ones you see at the salad bar), wrap that in plastic wrap, and put it in a paper bag.

[lisariv]

That's a good idea lisariv - so if we get them already cooked do we need to heat them up?

When you call ahead, they'll usually ask you what time you want to pick them up. They'll steam them to order and you can bring them home and eat them hot.

If you get them home and they're not hot and you want them hot, you can do a quick steam at home. But really, there's no nead to heat them. You can always just eat them room temperature/cold. Think crab salad.

[TerpsFan]

I'll second buying them already steamed from somewhere. Just pick them up close to the time you are going to eat them and they'll be perfect.

Where in MD are you? I'm sure all the Marylanders here can give their favorite crab places :D

My vote in Harford county is Price's in Havre de Grace. We went there Saturday night and had larges that were awesome. Tons of meat!

[Reebs]

I third the idea of having them steamed and just picking them up before you are ready to eat them. We have done that before, and like the others have said, they are still relatively hot.

My vote in Howard County for my favorite crab place is Crossroads in Dayton. And I also like Scooters on Route 1 near BWI. Or even Gunnings off 100 is good. Can you tell I like crabs!

[diam124]

I'm in AA County and I was planning on getting them at Crab Galley since it's pretty convenient. Now I just need to find the little mallet things. Those are necessary right?

[DianeCourt]

We live in the Detroit area, so we don't have an abundance of places to buy fresh seafood nearby. We love to eat king crab, so I buy it frozen & steam it myself. I used to just boil it, but I found that it's too soggy that way. So I invested a nice All-Clad stockpot with a steamer insert inside. It set me back $100, but we use it a lot and I like having the crab steaming hot when we're ready to eat it. I serve it with hot butter for dipping - I just melt it in the microwave and don't bother with clarifying.

Our favorite crab eating tool is a pair of kitchen shears! You can cut the shell without destroying it and you get big chunks of meat that way.

The only downside to heating it at home is the way it makes your house smell (yuck!) It does go away in a day, though.

[SunnyAB]

I'm the same as DianeCourt - (I got a steamer mostly because of the King Crab legs) though I am a LOT farther away from any fresh seafood source - its still pretty good. I'm not sure how to steam it properly - DianeCourt - do you put salt in the water :confused: (does the flavor transfer in the steam?) geeez I sound stupid, :o but I honestly don't know. And how do you know its done? Whenever I have done it, its always pretty good, but I thinks its just because I have been lucky (I keep peeking at the meat and if the thickest part is opague - I think the rest should definitely be done, but do the skinnier parts get overcooked??) I would love to know the 'proper' way. Mmmmmm.. now I'm craving.......

[DianeCourt]

I'm the same as DianeCourt - (I got a steamer mostly because of the King Crab legs) though I am a LOT farther away from any fresh seafood source - its still pretty good. I'm not sure how to steam it properly - DianeCourt - do you put salt in the water :confused: (does the flavor transfer in the steam?) geeez I sound stupid, :o but I honestly don't know. And how do you know its done? Whenever I have done it, its always pretty good, but I thinks its just because I have been lucky (I keep peeking at the meat and if the thickest part is opague - I think the rest should definitely be done, but do the skinnier parts get overcooked??) I would love to know the 'proper' way. Mmmmmm.. now I'm craving.......

I don't salt the water - I find that the frozen crab is salty enough on its own. And the crab I buy isn't fresh, so it's actually pre-cooked & then frozen. When I steam it, I'm basically just heating it, not cooking it. I go by touch - when the shell is hot to the touch, they're done. :)

I'm sure pre-cooked isn't nearly as good as fresh, but it does the job for us!

[cr8zyforaf]

I don't cook mine in water - we use beer and vinegar. We also have a big steamer (actually a turkey fryer) that we use outside - you bring the beer and vinegar to a boil and put the crabs in the basket (you also need to make sure that the crabs do not sit in the liquid - my DH made something out of tuna cans) and sprinkle the old bay on every few crabs. They will turn a bright orange color when done. If they are dark red or have red/green patches, they are not done. Remove from heat and server...yummm.

[mamax2]

I don't cook mine in water - we use beer and vinegar. We also have a big steamer (actually a turkey fryer) that we use outside - you bring the beer and vinegar to a boil and put the crabs in the basket (you also need to make sure that the crabs do not sit in the liquid - my DH made something out of tuna cans) and sprinkle the old bay on every few crabs. They will turn a bright orange color when done. If they are dark red or have red/green patches, they are not done. Remove from heat and server...yummm.

Yeah that! :D We use a big steamer attached to a propane tank. Beer, vinegar and Old Bay and let 'em go till they're orange. Done!

A note about re-heating, I also agree that they're fine room temp or even chilled, but if you do want them warm, throw them in the microwave w/a damp paper towel over top and give a quick zap - they're great!

My favorite crab place: My Mom's Deck ;) :p