Crab cooking

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sdexcalibur

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NewBedford MA
Hello all, anyone has some tips on how they transport crabs, and cook them. How long? dead or alive? Any info would be helpful. Thanks all.
 
My profile says Springfield, IL, but I grew up on the Jersey shore.

Transport them in a wicker basket with a wet towel over them. Keep them out of the sun. They should be cooked live.

Cook them in boiling water till they turn red. You can season the water with crab boil, Old Bay, or anything you like. The best I've ever had was when my neighbor threw in everything in his spice cabinet!
 
Boil a BIG pot of water, REAL BIG.

A tablepoon of salt, throw them into a BIG pot of water , LIVE (if they are dead, they are wasted) Put them on alot of heat.
Pull them out when the pot reaches boiling point .
When you take them out, dunk them in COLD water, this stops them from cooking further in the shell.
 
The last time I took a crab it put up a big fight in fact by the time I wrestled it free of the bottom and into my goodie bag it left a large claw behind.
I just took it home in the wet bag and popped it into the biggest pot I had and covered it in water and turned it on to boil. The memory of the crab writhing in agony, though several years ago still distresses me. I overcooked it and it was not eaten but thrown away.
Once I saw a large brick red crab sitting peacefully on the sea bed there was vivid green seaweed near bye, it reminded me of a large fat Aunty that liked to sit in her garden meditating in the late afternoon sun.
 
Just kidding!!! :D

But since I do, here is how to cook dungeness:

Boil a BIG pot of seawater.... don't add salt.

Throw the suckers in there alive... and cover your ears...
They scream something frightful and it might ruin your appetite...
When the moaning stops and they are red and their eyes are bugged out, pull them out of the pot and give them a proper burial...

Now let the crab soup cool a bit and serve it with saltine crackers.

Shoot... I was just kidding again...

Kill the poor things first...

Put a sharpened stick in the ground and sharpen the end that is sticking up... don't fall on this stick.

Hold the crab by the legs and jam him mouth first onto the stick...
(they can't scream with a stick in their mouth)

As the stick passes through them break them in half and give the halves a fling out to the side while still holding the legs firmly...

The guts and bits of carapace will splatter all over the onlookers.

Throw the crab halves into cold water and murder another one.

Now you can boil the crab in a smaller pot... inside the house without the odor... and bonus: without the green/yellow foam boiling out of the pot all over everything... the stuff that makes the green/yellow foam was splattered onto the onlookers. :D

Now some folk think that it is cruel to kill the crabs in this way... but which way would you rather go: impaled on a sharp stick or boiled alive....
.....
.....
..... yah know, neither of those sounds good to me...
 
Uncle Pug once bubbled...
Now some folk think that it is cruel to kill the crabs in this way... but which way would you rather go: impaled on a sharp stick or boiled alive....

Soooo, let me get this straight... those folks think it's not cruel to throw them in the pot and boil them alive while they literally scream their guts out? :confused:

My, oh my... I've been living a sheltered industrialized city life too long... gotta get out more.

I'd say the best way to cook them is to let someone else do it and just show up in time for dinner...

... but bring along a bottle of nice wine, of course. :wink:
 
I don't use a sharp stick I usually use a nice hard edge on the boat and break the back down the middle and toss the guts overboard as I am cleaning them. If they are going home I fill up a big tub of water keeping them live until I get home and clean them in a similar manner using a plastic bucket out in the yard.

Life Lesson: Don't let this bucket sit around too long with all the guts in it go find somewhere to let nature take its course without the stench being left for you -- might I suggest that annoying neighbor's house

Meat tends to be a little firmer and whiter when cleaned prior to cooking.

From what I know crab should be live when cooked or cleaned immediately before being cooked or they have some sort of 'poisoning' they do to themselves once they die.
 
usually crabs survive long journeys in a bucket with about an inch of water (depending on how many crabs there are, of course).

as for cooking, I usually kill them by chucking them in the freezer for about half an hour (can't stand the sight of them kicking and screaming in hot water). when they're nice and chilled, I'll scrub them with a small wire brush under cold running water. Once cleaned, drop into a big pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes (after the water returns to boil). just water will do, but I like to add a tablespoon of salt and a piece of crushed ginger. drain water and run crabs under cold running water.
 
crab once bubbled...
This thread is making me feel a bit anxious, if you know what I mean!
I actually thought about PMing you to get your vote:

What'll it be:

Sharp Stick or Boiling Pot?


Well looks like we have one more for you to choose from:

Hypothermia.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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