Thursday, May 24, 2012

Garlic Blue Crabs



There are 2 ways to get through the process of cooking blue crabs. You can; Steam then Clean or Clean then Steam, whichever way you decide to make it, it’s totally up to you.

To avoid having my daughter freak out at the fact that I bought something that’s still alive to put in the pot, which I know she would probably not eat and will probably scar the poor thing for life, I'm using the non-barbaric way to getting these blue crabs on the table..lol


So to use the Clean then Steam Method:
Start with live hard-shell blue crabs, making sure to discard any that are dead. Place the live crabs in ice-water for several minutes to stun them (it is best to use a large container for this purpose). Once immersed in ice-water, the crabs will become dormant. After several minutes the crabs will be "asleep", and then you can easily handle them with your bare hands.

Take each crab and remove its carapace (top shell). This is done by grasping the legs on one side of its body and prying the shell off, using the sharp spines for leverage. This kills the crab instantly.

With the carapace off, remove the spongy gills (known as the "dead man's fingers") and wash out the entrails (guts) using a high-pressure water spray (e.g., use a garden hose with a spray nozzle). Using your thumb and index finger, grasp the crab's mouth parts, twist off, and discard. Turn the crab upside down and, using a knife or other sharp object, pry up and remove the crab's apron which is folded up under its body. Rinse thoroughly.

At this point you should have a squeaky clean crab body with all legs and claws attached. The main body should be completely clean and consist of nothing but glistening white shell with meat inside.

Repeat this procedure until all of your crabs have been cleaned.

Note: After cleaning the crabs, you can save a few of the carapace (top shell), clean them thoroughly and add them back to the plate for presentation. 



Garlic Blue Crabs


Ingredients
8 blue crabs (cleaned)
6 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning, or to taste
4 tablespoons of lemon pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
dash of pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup butter
½ cup chopped/minced fresh garlic
1 cup chopped parsley leaves


Directions:
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (enough to cover the crabs)
  2. Add Old Bay Seasoning to water
  3. Add the crabs and cook until they are bright red/orange, approximately 10-15 minutes
  4. Remove from boiling water and let them cool to the touch.
  5. Crack the crab in 2 sections down the middle (optional).
  6. In a deep skillet, melt the butter, add garlic, parsley, paprika, lemon pepper, pepper flakes and stir to combine.
  7. Place the crabs in the skillet, using a spoon to covering as much as possible with the mixture and put them onto a platter.
  8. Pour remaining butter mixture from skillet, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice over the crabs before serving.
  9. Serve with lots of napkins and lemons on the side
Note: I added corn to my dish but I boiled the corn in a separate pot and added them to the garlic butter before serving. (didnt want them to have the fishy taste) :)







 
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1 comment:

  1. Thanks for these clear instrustions! Trying this tonight =-)

    ReplyDelete

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