mud crabs

[northerncat]

i really like the lobster and how to cook them thread so i thought i would start the how do you cook crab thread, seeing as they are fairly prevalent worldwide i thought there might be some great ideas from this forum,
my personal favourite crack the shell add garlic butter to the shell and then steam
sean

[FrankZ]

We take squirt a shot of yellow mustard in their face, layer them in the crab pot, sprinkle Old Bay on each layer and steam.

You can serve with butter but if you don't overcook them blue crabs don't really need anything else.

[AudreyK]

I wonder if youre talking about different crabs, Mud crabs could never be described as blue - they sound like (Im guessing) what we called blue swimmers in lake Maquarrie in NSW and are called sand crabs up here in queensland - sand crabs are much more delcate and need almost nothing - but for mudies nothing beats Singapore chillie crab its a bit hot! - which is on my list of things to learn how to cook!
Audrey

[FrankZ]

There is some other sort of crab than the Maryland Blue crab? Surely you are trying to spread some sort of fiction.

Besides, they do live in the mud.

[AudreyK]

Hmmm ... different mud crabs! they sound yummie though - how big do they get?
audrey

[northerncat]

i to am curious as to how big these maryland bluie crabs get, mudcrabs get pretty big, the biggest i have got is 25cm across the shell and the bigggest i ahve seen was 28cm, the 25 cm crab could easily fit 1 anbd a hlaf tennis balls in its claws
sean

[FrankZ]

They range about 5 to 7 inches point to point.

When we go out for crabs you order by the dozen. When we bring them home we normally get a half bushel which equals about 3 to 4 dozen if I remember correctly.

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries...crabfacts.html

Picking out crab is a very social thing. A dozen can really take some time so you sit and drink some beer and chat. Makes it seem less like a bunch of people feeding and more like them enjoying something together that just happens to involve food.

You can also get soft shells. These are right after they shed the shell and they are all soft. When we buy them they come dressed, they take the face off and pull the lungs out. We tend to pan fry them with a touch of butter and some pepper (we have a cajun mix we really like) and serve over toasted bread. And you just eat the whole thing, shell and all.

[Canibul]

I wish I could eat crabs. I have a psychological hangup about it, though. Has to do with using a sonar to find a Sikorsky that went down with 7 men onboard off of Tampa-St. Pete, and then retrieving some of the bodies. Nope. Cant eat crab, and have a tough time watching other people eating them. Nightmares stopped after a while, but memories dont.

[Vasco]

Caught a bunch in St. Michaels once. Apparently they have to be the size of a beer can to be legal. Threw them in a big pot with a bit of beer and steamed them. Sprinkle on some Bay Seasoning and that's it. I don't eat them (no crabs, shrimp or lobster for me) but it was fun catching them. You put a chicken neck on a piece of string and leave it on the bottom. When the string starts moving you pull it up real slow, the crab will hang on till about a foot from the surface. The trick is to scoop them in the net before they let go. Our success rate went down as the day got longer, maybe we should have concentrated more on the crabs than on the liquid refreshments.

[FrankZ]

There are a couple ways people catch them here.

First is with a net off a pier. At low tide you walk along and when you see one you scoop it up. You can also you lines like described above.

There are also pots and traps that you put down and retrieve later. They make sailing fun as you dodge the mine field.

The 'real' crabbers (commercial) use a trot line. Up to 3000 feet of line with chicken necks attatched every foot or so. Leave it lay on the bottom with the ends bouyed. Then the ride down the line with it lifting slowly over a pipe and let the crabs drop into the net.

Unfortuantly the commerical guys think it is all their water at times and lay their trot lines over channels. Picked up one once. Drug it for a while at 6 knots under reefed main and jib. He wasn't happy with me.

[tdw]

Oz Mud crab, before and after.
if anyone is interested I have what is claimed to be the original Singapore Chilli Crab recipe. It's pretty simple but I notice it doesn't include the bath required at the end of the meal. Oz blue swimmers are sweeter but are more difficult to get at.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by FrankZ

They range about 5 to 7 inches point to point.

When we go out for crabs you order by the dozen. When we bring them home we normally get a half bushel which equals about 3 to 4 dozen if I remember correctly.

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries...crabfacts.html

ll.

Sound and look like undersized sandies to me

Dave

[Talbot]

TDW
please post the recipe. I have enjoyed chile crab in Singapore and would love to repeat it, although I seem to remember a popular song at the time was "ring of fire" and that was all too true.

[tdw]

Originally Posted by Talbot

TDW
please post the recipe. I have enjoyed chile crab in Singapore and would love to repeat it, although I seem to remember a popular song at the time was "ring of fire" and that was all too true.

Whoops. Can't find file. Think it must be on my office machine. Will look for it on Monday.

[AudreyK]

I second that tdw
I would love to have the recipe - its a fine line between pleasure and pain!
Audrey