Sunday, July 27, 2008



Fortunately, I live near the water. I am a beach guy, and love everything about the lifestyle here. I have been around the water all my life, so a lot of delicacies for some, are a typical meal for me. It was raining and stormy here today, and the big race was on, so I decided to take the family out on the back deck and cook some crabs. I have a turkey fryer that is used just for steaming. It has a rack that keeps the food out of the boiling water, and handles that lifts the basket out of the pot. Cooking crabs is an art where I live. There are many spice recipes, because everyone has their own particular tastes. I will be explaining a generic version since I have no secret recipe. I basically use a half Old Bay, and Half kosher salt mix. I add 3 to 4 inches of 1 part water, and 1 part cider vinegar to my pot and bring to a rolling boil. I then add my crabs 1 at a time. Check to make sure they are alive, and discard the dead ones. I shake some of my seasoning on each layer as I ad the crabs. Fill not quite to the top and steam for 20 minutes. I then remove the lid and check a claw to be sure they are cooked. You need to look for the bright orange color, and texture of the meat. I have never cooked more than 20 minutes, but there is always an exception. You should cover your table with paper, or even old newspapers. Dump the crabs and sprinkle more seasoning and enjoy. We also like to have bowls of vinegar for dipping, crackers, and sliced cheddar cheese to eat along with the crabs. I have a special dip that I make that goes with any seafood, but I will not release that recipe at this time. Maybe in a future post. Great afternoon here with the race on the TV, hot crabs, and a cooler of Coors light. Yeah, I'll have the crabs

No comments: