How to steam crab

Video: How to STEAM DUNGENESS CRAB | House of X Tia

Content

Part 2 of 3: Prepare the pot
Part 3 of 3: Steam the crabs
Tips
What do you need

1 Crabs should be kept refrigerated. You can steam live or frozen crabs (claws are most often the latter). If you have a choice, know that live crabs are much tastier than frozen ones. If you are not going to cook the crabs immediately after purchase, then it is better to keep them alive or frozen. This can be done using an ice-filled refrigerator or ice packs.

Keep the crabs chilled until just before you cook them. Live crabs are best kept in a portable ice box.
Live crabs can be wrapped in a towel or burlap that has been previously soaked in salt water and covered with a layer of ice on top. Do not store crabs in water, as they can die from lack of oxygen.

2 You should peel the crab before or immediately after steaming. Clean live crabs (such as Dungeness and Red Reef Crab) before or after cooking. Chefs use both options.

It is necessary to pry off the apron (abdomen) by pulling on the shell on the crab's belly. This triangular piece of shell is located near the crab's tail. Pry it with your fingers or the tip of a knife and tear it off.
Remove the back (carapace) by sticking your thumb into the hole to the left of where you removed the abdomen. Pull and the shell will separate from the body of the crab along with the giblets.
Remove and discard the leaf-like ribbed gills on the sides.

3 Rinse the crabs before steaming them. Cooking times vary depending on the type of crab. Proceed with caution and use different utensils for raw and cooked crabs to avoid cross-contamination.

Wash all the brownish green insides of the crab. Tear off and discard the parts that are located on both sides of the mouthpiece. Then turn the crab over. Grasp it with both hands and place your thumbs in the center of the carcass.
Break the crab right in the middle by bringing your hands down and pressing firmly with your fingers. The whole process can be done in reverse order, and first boil the crabs, and only then peel.

4 Thaw the crab claws. You can use a few live crabs or frozen claws that are available in stores. Frozen claws only need to be reheated. This is not difficult.

One serving of frozen claws usually weighs 225-450 grams. To defrost the claws, place them in the refrigerator for eight hours. Do not leave raw claws in the refrigerator for more than two days.
It is necessary to defrost the claws in a waterproof container so that the liquid flows into the container and does not stain the refrigerator.

Part 2 of 3: Prepare the pot

1 You will need a pot with high sides. A container that is too shallow will not work, and a 6 liter saucepan is a good choice.
- A tall saucepan or steamer will work great. You will need a grate or a special divider installed at the top of the container to prevent crabs from coming into contact with hot liquid. You can buy a stand of a special shape or make your own suspension from foil. The main challenge is to allow the steam to circulate without allowing the crabs to come into contact with the boiling liquid inside the container.
- The crab steamer consists of two containers. Liquid is boiling at the bottom of the first pot, and crabs are in the inner perforated tank with holes. If you don't have a special steamer, try to improvise and use a large pot along with a round stand to cook the crabs on.
2 Fill a pot with liquid. You can steam live or frozen crabs with water, but the traditional recipe uses beer and vinegar, like Maryland does. You also need to add about ¼ cup of salt to the water.
- You only need two cans of cheap beer and the same amount of apple cider vinegar or distilled vinegar. Some add bay leaves to the mixture. If using water, add two cups of liquid to a saucepan and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Some recipes also require certain spices (such as salt, garlic, chili, lime, or coriander) to be added to the beer or water.
- There should be about five centimeters of liquid in the bottom container for sufficient vapor to form. The water level boundary must not reach the grate. Boil the liquid. Other recipes suggest adding 1 cup of vinegar to 1 cup of water.
3 Place crabs in a saucepan. Do this with tongs, especially if the crabs are still alive. Place three or four crabs on a wire rack, bellies down.
- Add the spice mixture. Then you need to lay out another layer of crabs on top and sprinkle with spices again. Cover the pot with a lid. A large number of crab spice recipes can be found on the internet.
- The spice mix can be tailored to your liking, but most commonly a combination of celery salt, dry mustard, cumin, black pepper, rock salt, and nutmeg is used. Crab spice mixes are also available at most grocery stores.

Part 3 of 3: Steam the crabs

1 Steaming crabs takes a certain amount of time. In this case, the size of the crabs, pots and their quantity should be taken into account.
- Usually crab claws take 4-8 minutes to cook. Try not to overexpose them, as the meat will become tough and dry. The crabs are ready when the shell turns orange-red. You need to check the dish frequently. The finished dish smells good and gets warm.
- Change the liquid in the pot if you plan on cooking another batch of crabs. Try not to overexpose the crabs. The process itself doesn't take long, and overcooked crabs don't taste as good. Dungeness crabs need to cook for 18-20 minutes.
- Some species, such as blue crabs, need to be steamed for much longer, about 20-30 minutes. Cook whole Dungeness crabs for 10-20 minutes.
2 Use a second pair of tongs to remove the crabs from the pot. It is important not to use the tongs that you used with raw or live crabs.
- This increases the risk of bacteria transfer. Spread the finished crabs on a large dish or on a table covered with newspapers; any other protected surface is also suitable.
- Sprinkle with a little seafood seasoning, then savor the crab flavor!
3 Make a butter sauce that is served with the crabs. Melted butter and lemon wedge sauce is one way to enjoy the flavor of steamed crab. You will need forceps to open the carapace.
- Melt 220 grams of butter in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat for about a minute. Then let the butter settle.
- After a few minutes, use a spoon to remove the foam that will rise to the surface of the oil. Drain the remaining oil into a serving bowl.
- Break the pincers in the joint area. Take a special seafood hammer and break each claw before serving.