Blue crabs are available throughout most coastal areas in the Atlantic and Gulf states. They may be caught, purchased at stores, or bought from commercial crabbers, and cooking these tasty crustaceans is quite simple.
Boiling Blue Crab
Fresh blue crabs (live crabs) may be lulled into a semiconscious state by their exposure to colder temperatures. Placing them in the refrigerator or freezer for thirty minutes or so before cooking them is often regarded as the most humane way of preparing them for a boil. To boil crabs, a large pot, filled with water is necessary. Salt and crab boil seasonings, such as Old Bay seasoning may also be added to the water, which will soak into the meat of the crab, and flavor it. Set the stove to high heat with the pot on top, and stir the salted and seasoned water every few minutes. Once the water is boiling, add the crabs to the pot, a few at a time, and remove them after about five minutes. The crabs will be red after they have been boiled.
Serving Boiled Crab
The meat from boiled blue crabs may be extracted for use in other recipes, but boiled crab is a meal in itself. Most of the meat is found in the claws (pincers) and the arm part of the claws, and in the backfin area, behind the crab's gills. A nutcracker may be used to break the claws, and the top part of the shell may be removed to expose the meat behind the gills. The meat in the backfin area is white and chewy, and is easily distinguishable from other organs and internal parts of the crab. There is a lot of cartilage in the backfin meat, so it may take a moment to sort the meat out. When eating boiled crab by itself, a butter dipping sauce makes for a tasty addition.
Butter Sauce Ingredients
- 1 stick of salted butter
- 1 fresh lemon, or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- pinch of Old Bay Seasoning, or any other crab boil seasoning
Butter Sauce Preparation
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl (the fresh lemon should be squeezed so that its juice is in the bowl), and microwave on high for about 30 seconds. Stir, and serve. The butter may also be melted in a pot on the stove top, and the garlic salt, crab seasoning, and lemon juice should be stirred in when it has melted.
Using Boiled Crab for Other Seafood Dishes
The crab meat may be extracted from the claws and body and placed in a bowl. Once there is a sufficient amount of meat for another cooking enterprise, the meat may be kept in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for up to a couple of days. It should not be kept at room temperature for long, so refrigerate the meat immediately after it is extracted. If it is not going to be used for some time, it may be frozen for up to about two months in the freezer. As with all foods, it is best to use the meat fresh. Crab meat may be used in crab cakes, crab bisque, crab imperial, crab-stuffed fish, and many other seafood recipes.
Boiling blue crabs is the most basic way to cook these tasty crustaceans. Once boiled, the crabs are delicious as they are, or their meat may be used in other dishes.
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