I was asked the other night how long you are supposed to cook crab. Good question! I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and have cooked and cleaned plenty of crab, yet I had never considered that it could be a daunting task for many. Silly, since I had no idea how to cook and clean a lobster when I visited my friend on Nantucket.

Many people get squirmy at the thought of plopping a live creature in boiling water. Personally, it’s not my favorite thing either, but according to my trusted fishmonger at Pike Place Market, there is no scientific evidence that crustaceans feel pain. That “screaming” you hear when you drop them in the water? That’s actually just air escaping their bodies.

Cooking

Bring a large pot of heavily-salted or seasoned water to boil. Add the crabs and bring back to a full boil. Once back to a boil start your timer.

For crabs up to 1 1/4 pound, cook for 15 minutes.
For crabs up to 2 pounds, cook for 20 minutes.
For crabs up to 3 1/4 pounds, cook for 25 minutes.
Anything larger, cook for 30 minutes.

Remove from water and let cool before you clean.

Cleaning

1. Break of the claws and legs, making sure to remove the knuckle too (the closest joint to the body).
2. Flip the crab over and lift and break off the tail flap.
3. There’s a small gap between the top and bottom shells on the “butt” of the crab. Push a knife blade into that gap and twist to pry the shells apart. You can also pull apart with your hands.
4. Remove the “dead man’s finger’s,” the gray gills on either side of the body, and throw away.
5. Using a teaspoon, scoop out the soft brown substance in the center of the body. This part is known as the “tamale,” and is considered a delicacy in many countries. In Japan it is called kani miso.
6. Cut the body section in half lengthwise.

Usually I serve cracked crab in a big bowl from which everyone can feast. I usually give each leg, especially the the claws, a “pre-crack” to make it easier for people to get to the meat. To do this I simply make a single cut halfway through the leg with kitchen shears. I will give the claws one good whack with the back of a knife blade.

Tips

Eating cracked crab is messy business, so I like to provide each quest with finger bowls filled with warm water and a slice of lemon.

The best tool for picking? The pointy tip of one of the legs. It’s small, manageable, and fits perfectly in all the nook and crannies.

Save the shells and boil them down later for a delicious crab stock.

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Categories:	Cooking tips • Fish & Seafood	4 Comments
Tags:	crab • Food • foodista • pike place market • seafood • Shellfish

I’m always hesitant to order crab cakes. Mainly because most places fall short in including a key ingredient: crab. I refer to those as “cakes” since they are mostly just a filler of cracker, celery, onions or whatever. You chew with your eyes closed in concentration, trying to detect that twelve dollars worth of shellfish, but only taste mayonnaise-y Saltine’s with perhaps the essence of the critters.

Crab cakes are easy to make, especially if you don’t have to crack the crabs to get the meat. They’re often fried, but I prefer them sautéed in a bit of olive oil or butter. This recipe is an adaptation of James Peterson’s in Fish & Shellfish.

1 lb lump crabmeat
6 T fresh bread crumbs or Panko
2 eggs
1/2 C milk
2 tsp. salt
Pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I was out of this so I substituted Old Bay Seasoning which was quite good)
3 T finely chopped parsley (I prefer Italian, or flat leaf, parsley)
1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C unsalted butter
Lemon wedges for garnish
Tarragon aïoli (recipe below)

Beat eggs, milk, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Stir in crab, chopped parsley and bread crumbs.

Shape the crab mixture into 8 patties (note: they will be very loose, almost falling apart, but fear not, they will stay together in the pan). Gently roll them in flour and shake off the excess. Or, if they are too loose, hold the crab cake in your hand, sprinkle one side with flour (letting excess fall off), flip to your other hand and do the same. Heat butter in a large sauté pan. Sauté crab cakes for about 4 minutes on each side. Place on paper towels to remove excess butter.

Aïoli is a Provençal specialty served with fish and vegetables (its less fancy name is mayonnaise). It literally translates to “garlic and oil.” Nothing is better than a fresh aïoli. It’s so addictive you’ll never want to eat jarred mayo again.

2 large fresh egg yolks
3 cloves garlic, peeled
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)
1/4 cup very hot water
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves

Place the egg yolks, garlic, lemon juice, salt, tarragon and Tabasco sauce in a food processor or blender and process until homogenized. Add the hot water and process for 10-15 seconds. Slowly add the olive until sauce thickens. Place in a bowl.

We also made a smoked paprika aïoli, which was fantastic. Just follow the basic aïoli recipe.

Serve crab cakes on a bed of baby arugula lightly dressed with truffle oil, lemon and a pinch of Kosher salt. Garnish with lemon wedges and drizzle a little of the aïoli on top.
Check out What’s For Dinner’s recipe for Betty’s Authentic Baltimore Crabcakes

Other tasty versions of aïoli:

Fried Jalapeños with Roasted Red Pepper Aïoli
Le Grand Aïoli – Garlic Lovers Feast
Henriette’s Herbal Blog has a nice, easy recipe for aïoli.

I’d love to know what you think. Click the Comments link below and share your thoughts.

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Categories:	Cooking tips • Shellfish	1 Comment
Tags:	aioli • crab • crab cakes • tarragon

When there’s crab in the house there are no left-overs. Really, I can eat my body weight in these critters. But we actually had a bunch of meat remaining and I was at a loss for what to make. I didn’t want crab cakes or bisque; I was in the mood for something along the lines of sushi, but frankly, was just too tired for anything that involved. So I thought, “What’s tasty and requires the least amount of effort? Chirashi!” And, healthy too. Chirashi sushi literally means scattered sushi. There’s no fixed recipe for chirashi, and your fish can be cooked or raw.

Ours was simply this: rice, crab meat, avocado, julienned cucumber, umeboshi (pickled plums), cooked carrot (I used my little crab cookie cutter to show that I wasn’t completely slacking off in the preparation) and black sesame. YUM! I served it with a little wasabi and soy sauce and, of course, hot sake.

Kampai!

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Categories:	Uncategorized	Leave a Comment
Tags:	avocado • chirashi • crab • dinner • sushi • umeboshi • wasabi