Cooking Blue Crab

The Easy Way to Cook Live Atlantic Blue Crabs

Atlantic blue crabs are free for the catching on Cape Cod.

So all you'll need for your own yummy crabfest is some basic crabbing equipment, a little crab-catching talent, and a stove or campfire where you can boil up a big pot of water.

Handling Live Blue Crabs

There's only one thing about cooking blue crab that can pose a bit of a challenge. That's moving the little devils from their storage container into the pot, while their claws are trying to fend you off.

Rule #1 of handling blue crabs: Keep your fingers away from theirs!

A blue crab's claws are strong. They're sharp, too. And crabs are incredibly tenacious. Once they latch on, they're not quick to let go.

Thankfully, that's not my thumb in the clutches of that crab claw.

I learned years ago (yes, through trial and painful error!) that the safest way to handle a live blue crab is from a distance - with a set of long-handled barbecue tongs.

Wieldling my tongs, I grab the crab from behind, top and bottom of the shell, claws pointing away from me, and then I'm the boss!


Preparing Your Blue Crabs for the Pot

Other than rinsing them off, there's not much else you need to do.

If you've purchased your blue claw crabs from a seafood market, they should be nice and clean already.

If you've done it the sporting way and caught your own ...

You can go the extra step and use a scrub brush on their shells, if you'd like. I don't usually bother doing that, but it's up to you!


Cooking Blue Crabs

When it comes to cooking fresh-caught blue crabs, I'm definitely a purist.

Nothing goes into our cooking pot except water and the live crabs.

Some folks like to add stuff to their cooking water - a little vinegar, a cup of beer, or maybe some "crab boil" spices like Old Bay Seasoning.

Not in my kitchen - no way!

The taste of blue crab meat is sooooo sweet just as it is. Why in the world anyone would want to alter it, I can't imagine!

Here's my tried-and-true method for cooking blue crab:

• Put an inch or two of water into a big, sturdy pot. Cover the pot, put it on the stove or over a hot campfire, and bring the water to a rolling boil.


• When the water is boiling, drop your crabs into the pot. Be sure not to pack them in too tightly.


• Put the lid back on the pot, and continue to boil on high heat for about 10 minutes.


• Lift the lid and check on your crabs. When the shells have turned bright orange, your crabs are done.

It's important to store them properly, so they'll be fit to eat when you're ready.

Our method is to put them in a lightly dampened paper bag, and stick them in the refrigerator.

No room in the fridge? Any cool, shady location will do. Keep your crabs cool and damp, and they should be just fine for a few hours, overnight, and maybe even for a day or two.

• Important: Please don't leave your live blue crabs submerged in water. In no time flat they'll breathe all the oxygen out of the water, and they won't be live crabs for very long.

  When a crab dies, its meat begins to "go bad" pretty quickly. So treat them right, keep them alive, and throw any dead ones away. It's not worth risking illness.

Putting Your Crabs to "Sleep" Before Cooking

I'm a total woosie when it comes to putting live crabs, live lobsters, or live anything, into a pot of boiling water. That's why my hubby usually gets to do that job, while I hide out in another room until the dastardly deed is done.

On those rare occasions when I have to pot 'em up myself, I prefer to put my live crabs "to sleep" before dropping them in to boil.

How?

A few minutes in a bowl of ice water puts live crabs into a dormant state, making their ultimate demise a bit less harrowing for all involved.

When you can't catch fresh blue crabs in your own home town, where do you go? To Crisfield, Maryland - the "Crab Capital of the World". My hubby and I discovered Crisfield a few years ago on a sojourn along the shores of the Chesepeake Bay. This quaint gem of a town is home to generations of crabbing families, and to my favorite online source for all things crab ... The Crab Place Delectable seafood. Reasonable prices. Quick, friendy service. It's all good!