How do you eat your crab?

[Hades]

Discovery Channel is doing a re-run of their series "deadliest catch". For those who haven't seen it yet: it's a kind of reality soap about king crab fishers.
Needless to say I'm devoloping a craving for crab. My favourite way of having crab is crab cocktail. A can of king crab (fresh is almost impossible to get here) mixed with a hard boiled egg (finely cut), a few tbspoons of home made mayo, a sqeeze of ketchup, a few drops of worchestshire sauce, a little white pepper and some freshly chopped parsley.
But how do you like your crab (if you like it at all)?

 

[wasabi]

Steamed and dipped in clarified butter.

 

[Chopstix]

The 3 all-time best crab dishes I swear by are:

1. Baked in garlic, pepper, butter and lemon (from a Spanish bistro in Manila)
2. Black pepper crab (in Singapore)
3. Chili crab (in Singapore)

The last two are cooked with crabs imported from Sri Lanka (Ceylon). I've never cooked these dishes myself. I have found some recipes but I don't think they'll be as good as eating them there.

 

[youngchefpat]

as of recently i enjoy crab cakes with a roasted red pepper remoulade sauce. its pretty traditional but not to be forgotton.

 

[urmaniac13]

I am ashamed to say I rarely get a chance to enjoy a real crab (I mean fresh). I haven't had one for a long time, as neither Cris or I are sure how to prepare them correctly, removing the shell etc.

We do occasionally use the ones in a tin, and make a nice salad with avocado, tossed with a mixture of mayonnaise and sour cream, squeeze of lemon juice, a little chive and a dash of white pepper.

It makes a nice savoury crepe filling, too, with a wine cream sauce with lots of flat leaved parsley.

 

[LesleyP]

I'm lucky enough to live by the Sea so we often eat fresh crab and for me by far the best way is to simply boil it and then eat with nice fresh salad leaves and home cooked granary bread spread with real butter.

 

[pdswife]

As fast as I can so I get more than anyone else.

 

[urmaniac13]

As fast as I can so I get more than anyone else.

When I get to enjoy a fresh crab next time, this will surely be the way to go for me too

 

[kitchenelf]

I like to eat mine steamed with butter, lemon, and reckless abandon.

When I want to do crabcakes I also make mine with a pureed roasted red pepper coulis - there is also some of that in the crabcake recipe. YUM!!! This is my second favorite way as it is mostly crab, not filler.

 

[Toots]

I'd love to know a good crab cake recipe - yum!

Crab is expensive around here, like $30/lb.

 

[GB]

I do not get crab often at all, but my most memorable experience was sitting at a large table with a mallet. I would crack those suckers open and pinch out the little bit of amazing meat. I sat at that table for 3 hours eating non stop. I only stopped because everyone else I was with must have been getting tired of sitting there (even though they say they were not). I could have stayed all night.

 

[Gretchen]

Blue crabs--steamed and picked dipped in butter.
Crab cakes.

A good place to buy crab in the East is Costco or Sam's. Get lump crab as the first quality or backfin as second. Claw crabmeat is for soups or gumbo. It is fairly seasonal in price but lump is usually about $15/lb. at these places. It is "canned" pasteurized, about the only way you can get it.
DO NOT waste money on canned crab sold on the tuna aisle.

 

[kitchenelf]

I do not get crab often at all, but my most memorable experience was sitting at a large table with a mallet. I would crack those suckers open and pinch out the little bit of amazing meat. I sat at that table for 3 hours eating non stop. I only stopped because everyone else I was with must have been getting tired of sitting there (even though they say they were not). I could have stayed all night.

GB - when we go to Charleston we get bowls and bowls of garlic blue crabs!!!! ...but they MUST be eaten while drinking a pitcher of Long Island Iced Tea

 

[GB]

Kitchenelf, you know how to live!

 

[mish]

Discovery Channel is doing a re-run of their series "deadliest catch". For those who haven't seen it yet: it's a kind of reality soap about king crab fishers.
Needless to say I'm devoloping a craving for crab. My favourite way of having crab is crab cocktail. A can of king crab (fresh is almost impossible to get here) mixed with a hard boiled egg (finely cut), a few tbspoons of home made mayo, a sqeeze of ketchup, a few drops of worchestshire sauce, a little white pepper and some freshly chopped parsley.
But how do you like your crab (if you like it at all)?

Hades, I get Discovery, and will keep an eye out for the segment, as I adore crab, and most any seafood. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.

One of my all-time favorites -- crab cakes. Crab or most any seafood in a pasta or salad dish, makes my day - or crab salad stuffed in an avacado or tomato. I could go on and on about the dishes I enjoy that include crab - but one thing I am puzzled about is soft shell crab -- re how to cook and eat it. Pardon a silly question, but re soft shell crabs - do you actually eat the shell, and why are they called soft shell? TIA

 

[TATTRAT]

There is nothing finer then covering the outdoor table in news papper, getting a bushell of crabs and ALOT of ice cold beer, and going crazy for a while.

As far as snowcrab goes, butter and lemon. I keep it simple.

 

[VegasDramaQueen]

When it comes to steak or crab and lobster, I'm a purist. I want nothing to interfer with the great flavor of crab dipped in butter with a squeeze of lemon juice. Wow, fortunately, in Vegas we get a lot of crab so my appetite for it is always satisfied. I don't eat snow crab. Not enough meat for my taste. I live on Dungeness and King Crab legs. YUUUUMMMM>

The Discovery channel's Deadliest Catch is a series not a segment and it is fascinating. You will gain a respect and appreciation for crab fisherman and what they go through. You will also learn some little known facts and information about crabs and crab fishing. I loved the series, so don't miss it.

 

[ChefJune]

I like to eat mine steamed with butter, lemon, and reckless abandon.

I like your style, Kitchenelf! That's my preference for my favorite, Dungeness crab, and also the yummy Maryland blue crab. with a glass of delicious Chardonnay... as good a one as I can afford at the time!

I also love soft shell crabs in season, and those I adore lightly breaded and pan fried. Ping's in NYC Chinatown does them to perfection! I can make a fool of myself over those.

 

[ChefJune]

do you actually eat the shell, and why are they called soft shell? TIA

Yes, Mish, you do eat the shell. It is soft enough, but cooks up crunchy. There's a little flap on the underside that you have to lift and clean out the gills and other yutz, and then the whole thing is edible.

They are called soft-shells because they have molted and shed the hard shell they wear for most of the year. Soft-shells season really is from late May through June. Having worked for years in the food business, I know that altho many restaurants sell them later, they've been frozen. Fresh is always better in this case, imo.

Hope that helps!

 

[gemgirlco.com]

I use to live on the coast of Georgia, where I could just go up to the boats and get freshly caught crabs (blue crabs) for very inexpensive. I don't live on the coast anymore, and miss those days.