Crabs

[El Pinguino]

As soon as I saw 'Southampton' and 'Crabs' I thought of the 'Juniper Berry'. Probably tarted up now but there used to be a full wall mural in the public bar... crabs galore and writ large upon it ' It's no use standing on the seat... the crabs in here can jump ten feet'

I think I would pass on crabs in Southampton

[El Pinguino]

You rip the legs off these ones when they are still alive and discard the body...then just steam the legs in the p/cooker.

[paulajayne]

British crabs can spell colour and theatre correctly LOL

[sparrowhawk1]

After watching the YouTube video Pete 7 recommended I watched several "recommended" videos by deermeatfordinner.( sorry I don't know how to link with a smartphone) They did a test where they put half their crab traps with chicken as bait and half with sardines, the traps with the chicken only had like 5 crabs and the traps with sardines had over 30. They also showed putting crabs in ice water: being the most humane way to clean then cook them.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Wow, so much useful information! Thanks!

OK, so you just throw them in boiling water (or pressure cooker), and that's it?

The horrible death bothers me, but I guess I'll get over it

And Weavis -- your mind is in the gutter as always

If the horrible death bothers you too much, chuck the crab into the freezer for a few hours. They go to sleep in the cold and die painlessly. Cook whenever you are ready.

Dunno about pommy crabs but aussie crabs taste far better when boiled in the same water they are caught in, salinity wise that is.

[Badsanta]

Cooking a crab is like stepping on a cockroach. Its a bug.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Badsanta

Cooking a crab is like stepping on a cockroach. Its a bug.

<pedant mode>
While both are arthropods, they are different classes of animals. A cockroach is an insect, a crab is a crustacean. Neither are bugs, which are insects with sucking mouthparts. (Unless you are talking about Weavis' crabs ). </pedant mode>

But I know what you mean

[PortClydeMe]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

What do you do with them once you have them? Sorry for the extremely naive questions -- for all of my love for the sea, I am a complete ignoramus where fishing and such things are concerned.

You boil them. Just like a Maine lobster. Boil water, then throw them in. It's pretty simple. Like lobsters, they're ready when the shells turn red. Melt some butter, and get "crackin'" at the shells. Dip the meat into the butter, and enjoy.

Did you know that you can put a lobster to sleep by standing it on its head on the countertop and gently rubbing its back? Some say it makes them taste better, as their muscles are relaxed when they take the hot plunge.

Here's a photo of a lobster boat off the front deck of our house in ... Port Clyde, Maine.

If you have any questions about cooking clams, drop me a line.

[Wakey]

Good video but I can't believe they didn't put newspaper on the table lol

Add this to any boil..

http://www.amazon.com/Zatarains-Crab.../dp/B005YQ9IKS

Originally Posted by weavis

My favourite memories of boilouts in the States was ordering Crawfish from LA and having a heap of people over........

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[PortClydeMe]

See? Maine hippies never lie.

But!!! You don't have to cross the arms. Take note!

Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA_oEA6TRMw

[wooden head]

Way out west here we like to clean our crabs before we cook them. (well I do anyway) grab the legs and claws from the front (icing first makes this easier but takes the challenge out of it) you then use a nail head protruding from a piling or cleaning board to hook under the shell at the rear. Peal off shell remove abdomin plate break in half shake off all the gills and guts, rinse and put in boiling water for 6 min. Pull from hot water and rinse or immerse in cold water long enough to halt cooking while keeping meat hot.

[Wotname]

Dockhead, are the local crabs anything like these Queensland Muddies?

[familycruisers]

If they are Blue crab, for the love of God, steam, don't boil. Dang Carolinians really know how to mess up a good crab......jk

[brownoarsman]

As a Marylander, and thus an authority on crabbing since birth, chicken on a string is a great way to while away the hours, though a cage is less work. There are two primary types of cage: one you set and forget, and it creates a maze the crab gets stuck in. The other has four doors on hinges. Sink it with bait tied in the middle, wait a bit, then pull it up rapidly to slam the doors shut.
Steamed with old bay is the way to go.
As a side note, I learned when I was 20 that blue crab can be found all over! I was the labor foreman on a shrimp farm in Saudi Arabia, dearly missing Maryland's slightly cooler summer, and at a BBQ chicken dinner we had to celebrate the installation of a new water pump, I looked over the side of the coast guard dock and saw a bunch clinging to the piles. Collected them by hand, boiled them up, and scared the locals when I started digging in. Sure cure for homesickness, though it did give me second thoughts about wading in the farm supply channel ...
Also Mark, if you're in the Carolinas or Maryland, the crabs are running now, so get the easy catching while you can over the next two weeks!


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[flagorio]

I put in ear plugs so that when I plunge them in the water, I don't have to listen to the screams. :-)


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