Steamed Maryland Blue Crabs For 14 Recipes

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 cup seafood seasoning, salt, beer, and vinegar in a large stockpot over high heat. Bring to a strong simmer.
• Right before cooking, carefully place each crab upside down and stick a knife through the shell, just behind mouth.
• Fit a screen over the beer mixture and layer the crabs on the screen. Be sure that the crabs are above the simmering liquid. Cover.
• Steam crabs until they turn bright orange and all of the blue/green color is gone, 20 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup seafood seasoning before serving.

Steps:

• Rinse the crabs with cool water and transfer to a large cooler. Top with ice and let sit until the crabs are still, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, to make the seafood seasoning, grind the bay leaves in a spice grinder until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the paprika, celery salt and cayenne.
• Pour the beer into a 36-quart stockpot with a basket insert and add the vinegar, 2 tablespoons of the seafood seasoning and 6 cups water. Stir to combine. Add the steamer basket (the liquid should be below the basket), cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Put 12 crabs in a single layer, shell-side up, on the steamer rack. Sprinkle liberally with about 1/4 cup seafood seasoning. Repeat the process, layering and sprinkling, with the remaining crabs and seasoning. Cover and steam until the crabs are bright orange all over (there should be no traces of blue or green), 20 to 25 minutes.
• Transfer the crabs to a large platter or rimmed baking sheet--or spread them out directly on a table covered with butcher paper -- and serve with crab mallets for cracking the shells.

Steps:

• For Steaming The Crabs: You will need a large pot with a raised rack to keep the crabs out of the water mixture. I have been known to use wadded-up foil. Add the water and/or Beer and vinegar to the pot and bring to a boil. The depth of the water mixture could vary due to pot size. You may not be able to cook all the crabs at once. While boiling watch the level of water in your pot making sure not to boil dry. If you run low remember its equal parts beer and/or water to vinegar. Carefully layer the crabs in the pot grab from behind. Between each layer of crabs season with the spice mixture you have made. Steam blue crabs for 20 minutes until done If crabs are extremely large maybe longer, but no longer than 30 minutes. Allow to rest until the crabs have cooled some and are safe to crack and enjoy. Ensure you have someone around that knows how to clean a crab and can show you how to do that.

Steps:

• Cover tables, preferably outdoors, with brown packaging paper and tape. For each pot of crabs, add water, beer, and approximately 1/4 packet of crab boil seasoning to pot. Bring to boil. With gloves on, remove crabs from bushel, you may have to pull them apart (carefully!) and put/shake a few at a time into pot. It is best to grab them from behind to avoid the claws, as their legs only move forward. Add enough crabs to fill bottom of pot. Sprinkle more crab boil seasoning over first layer of crabs. Continue, alternating crabs and seasoning until pot is nearly full, leaving about an inch at the top. Cover tightly. Steam over high heat for 14 to 16 minutes, or until shells are bright orange. Halfway through cooking time, shake pot to redistribute seasoning. When done, remove pot from heat. Drain over sink the accumulated liquid from pot. Spread crabs onto large tray; place in center of table where guests help themselves. Serve with small dishes of melted butter and, for those who like added seasoning, place small bowls of extra crab boil seasoning on table.
• Eating guidelines: It is easier to learn how to eat crabs from an expert, but if none is available, here are step-by-step instructions. First, pull off claws and legs. Break legs and check for meat. Sucking is okay. Some like to save the claws for last because they are rather dessert-like, although the "lump" meat from the body is prized most. Next, turn the crab on its back. You will see an elongated part of the shell that looks like a "T." Some call it the key, even though it doesn't look very much like one. The female key is plumper; the male's is more elongated. Pull the key back, breaking it off, which makes the rest of the shell easy to remove. Now the body of the crab is shell-less. You will now see the long rib-like strips on either side of the cavity. These are the crab's gills. Edible, but not very good. Pull them off, and you will more easily be able to break the crab in half. When you do this, you will most likely now see a good amount of white, fleshy "lump" crab meat. Continue opening the small sections to expose more meat. You will not need mallets or hammers for this. When you are ready for the claws, break them in half at the joint. Take a wooden mallet and whack the large half hard. Don't be shy.

Steps:

• In a large hotel steaming pan, add water and bring to a boil. Add crabs in one layer. Cover crabs with the seasoning, about 1/4-inch thick. Let steam for 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Place a steamer pot or any large, heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid on the stove. (In the latter case, improvise a rack on the bottom of the pot that will keep crabs a few inches from the bottom.) Add the beer, vinegar and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
• Put a layer of crabs on the rack in the pot. Sprinkle with a generous amount of seasoning, then repeat with another layer, and another, until all 12 crabs are in pot (and well seasoned). Cover and steam over medium-high heat until the crabs are bright red, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the crabs with tongs. Serve over newspaper, with mallets and picks.

Steps:

• Also need 1 Large Pot with a raised rack at least 2-4 inches.
• Over high heat in a large crab pot with a raised rack bring equal ammounts of Cider Vinegar and water or beer to a boil.
• (The total ammount should be just below the raised rack about 2-3 cups of each Vinegar and water or Beer.) Mix equal ammounts of"Old Bay" seasoning and"Kosher" Salt (About 2 cups of each to start) Add 4-6 LIVE JUMBO male crabs for each layer and add the combined "seasoning" on top of the crabs.
• Continue with Crabs and a layer of seasoning until at least 12- 14 crabs are in the pot, cover and steam 25- 30 minutes.
• with the lid on!
• (Chop off anyones hand that tries to lift the lid too soon!) When done use tongs to lift out steamed crabs to a table covered with newspapers or brown paper.
• Repeat until all Crabs are Steamed, changing the vinegar and water and adding new "seasoning" to each new batch.
• Serve at once with extra "seasoning" and "crab mallets" to break open claws.
• Or store in brown paper bags in the fridge until needed 4-5 days (NO LONGER!!!).