Here you will unravel the mystery and discover a quick and easy way to eat a crab! 2. Serve immediately with hot melted butter or let the crabs cool down in their shell until they are cool enough for you to remove the meat and refrigerate it until further use. Run 2 to 3 inches of water into the bottom of a large pot. Remove the crab from the water and leave to cool before preparing. When it comes to cooking fresh-caught blue crabs, I'm definitely a purist. I take you guys with me to catch some Blue Claw Crabs for dinner! Nothing goes into our cooking pot except water and the live crabs. Bring it to a boil, and fit it with a steamer insert. If you don't have a suitably large steamer insert, use a wire trivet or cooling rack instead, and balance it on egg-sized balls of aluminum foil to keep your crabs above the water level. Some folks like to add other stuff to the pot - a little vinegar, a cup of beer, or maybe some "crab boil" spices like Old Bay Seasoning. 1. Let the crabs steam for 1 minute. You should reduce the heat to medium-high and let the crab keep steaming until it's cooked (about 15 more minutes for 2 pounds of crab). Step 1. Remove crabs and fill pan with enough water to cover crabs by 2 to 3 inches. Bring an inch of salted water to a boil in a large pot. Steaming live crab. Cover and cook 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the crabs. This will stop the cooking process, cool down the shell enough for you to handle, and rinse off any icky crab guts that may have oozed out during cooking. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil – use 30g of salt per litre of water. Place the crab in the boiling water to cook – a 1kg crab should take 8–10 minutes. Grasp crabs carefully from the rear end, between the legs, and put in a pan to make sure they fit, with 3 to 4 inches of clearance below pan rim. Cooking Blue Crabs. I show you how I catch, clean, cook, and eat blue crabs… Prepare your table. Remove crabs and fill pan with enough water to cover crabs by 2 … Bring the water to a boil and place the crab claw into the pot. Directions Water it in. Nothing goes into our cooking pot except water and the live crabs. 1. Top with the remaining 2 crabs belly-side down and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the Old Bay. Bring the liquid to a rapid boil. Dungeness crabs are a fantastically tasty treat, as well as a lean, healthy, delicious holiday tradition. Boil it up. Cover with a tightfitting lid and return the liquid to a full boil, about 1 minute. Serve immediately. When it comes to cooking fresh-caught blue crabs, I'm definitely a purist. Not in my kitchen - no way! A pot filled with crabs will usually take about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes longer. Put the crabs in a steamer basket or insert or simply pile them into the pot and let the bottom crabs boil slightly and act as a platform for the other crabs to steam. Keep live crabs loosely covered in the refrigerator up to 12 hours. To get a better feel for the cooking time needed, steam one crab ahead of time. Continue to steam until the crabs are cooked through, about 10 minutes more. As the liquid is heating up, place the live crabs into the freezer or into a large bowl of ice water for about 3 minutes. Remove your crab from the pot, and rinse under cool water in the sink. Set a steamer basket in the pot and the crabs in the basket or, if you have a lot of crabs, simply pile them in. 1. After 20 minutes in the freezer your crabs will no longer be moving much. How to Cook and Clean a Fresh Dungeness Crab: If you live on the Pacific coast, this is necessary information! When the crabs are done, immerse them for a few seconds in cold water so that cooking stops and they do not overcook. 3 Using tongs, remove the crabs to a large bowl or serving platter.