Blue Crab

[Goldensammy]

What is your favorite way to cook them? The more details the better. I've never cooked them before, but was given some I plan to cook tonight.

[RR 314]

Henry’s Barbecued Crabs
Serves 4
Fresh Louisiana crabs get the barbecue treatment in this unique dish.
Ingredients
24 live blue crabs
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups butter
1 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons concentrated liquid crab and shrimp boil, such as Zatarain’s
1 tablespoon lemon-pepper seasoning mix
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
Preheat grill to medium-low (300°).
Scald crabs with hot water to stun. Remove the back (top shell) from each crab, and clean out gills, lungs, and center of each. Crack the claws, but do not remove the shells. Season crabs with salt and cayenne.
In a large saucepan, combine butter, lemon juice, crab and shrimp boil, seasoning mix, Worcestershire, garlic powder, and paprika. Heat over low heat until butter is melted. With a basting brush, brush about one-third of the sauce on crabs.
Place crabs, cavity side down, on grill, and close the lid. Cook about 10 minutes. Flip crabs, and fill cavities with more butter sauce. Close the lid, and cook 10 to 15 minutes more. Time will vary according to the size of the crabs. Brush crabs with remaining butter sauce, and serve immediately.

[jds247]

I usually boil them .. ill boil a couple lbs of shrimp first. I don't like the shrimp tasting like the outside of a crab.. we boil the crabs and eat as many as possible.. my wife will pick the rest for gumbo and etouffee.. we had shrimp and crab etouffee last night..

[ultrastealth]

Henry’s Barbecued Crabs
Serves 4
Fresh Louisiana crabs get the barbecue treatment in this unique dish.
Ingredients
24 live blue crabs
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups butter
1 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons concentrated liquid crab and shrimp boil, such as Zatarain’s
1 tablespoon lemon-pepper seasoning mix
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
Preheat grill to medium-low (300°).
Scald crabs with hot water to stun. Remove the back (top shell) from each crab, and clean out gills, lungs, and center of each. Crack the claws, but do not remove the shells. Season crabs with salt and cayenne.
In a large saucepan, combine butter, lemon juice, crab and shrimp boil, seasoning mix, Worcestershire, garlic powder, and paprika. Heat over low heat until butter is melted. With a basting brush, brush about one-third of the sauce on crabs.
Place crabs, cavity side down, on grill, and close the lid. Cook about 10 minutes. Flip crabs, and fill cavities with more butter sauce. Close the lid, and cook 10 to 15 minutes more. Time will vary according to the size of the crabs. Brush crabs with remaining butter sauce, and serve immediately.

I agree that they taste awesome that way, but the meat tends to stick to the shell when you grill them.

[outlook8]

Break them down before cooking, don’t cook them live/whole. Boil in Catalans or whatever you like. Add a little vinegar to the water to help with peeling.

[Landrover]

i boiled two dozen this weekend as my wife was determined to have some early in the season. They were only half full with meat as July is much better quality.

I usually boil them .. ill boil a couple lbs of shrimp first. I don't like the shrimp tasting like the outside of a crab.. we boil the crabs and eat as many as possible.. my wife will pick the rest for gumbo and etouffee.. we had shrimp and crab etouffee last night..

Bingeaux! Exactly what my mom has done my whole life, as well as my wife.

[jds247]

i boiled two dozen this weekend as my wife was determined to have some early in the season. They were only half full with meat as July is much better quality.

Bingeaux! Exactly what my mom has done my whole life, as well as my wife.

This was the second batch we caught in may.. both batches were full and mostly number 1s .

[Landrover]

This was the second batch we caught in may.. both batches were full and mostly number 1s .

That works! Daggum global warming i guess messed up our first batch......lol!

[breederbuck33]

Boil them in clean water and apply a heavy coat of Sexton seasoning. OR fry and apply Sexton Seasoning. Either way its delicious. I prefer boiled because its much cleaner and easier.

[Man]

This is where I am confused. I used to just boil them whole...then I got people saying we can't do that because of the poison gills and that I need to open and remove before boiling. Hell I think I used to eat the poison gills before I was told they poison.

[justletmein]

Break them down before cooking, don’t cook them live/whole. Boil in Catalans or whatever you like. Add a little vinegar to the water to help with peeling.

This is what we do, ice them so they're sluggish and don't fight back (lol) and then I stab a strong knife down between the eyes, rip the top shell off, flip over and remove bottom flap, crack in half and clean out the lungs and such. This gives you legs + wing meat and fit much better in smaller boiling pots.

[jds247]

This is where I am confused. I used to just boil them whole...then I got people saying we can't do that because of the poison gills and that I need to open and remove before boiling. Hell I think I used to eat the poison gills before I was told they poison.

I've done it both ways . Never had a problem.ive heard the gills we poison too but my friends vietnamese wife eats them. They do call them the dead man though. I just find it takes a lot less seasoning and time boiling them cleaned.. we do the same with the ice to slow em down but I just pull off the shell .. and remove the inards and flap.. leave them whole or half them depending on the pot..

[warrington]

This is what we do, ice them so they're sluggish and don't fight back (lol) and then I stab a strong knife down between the eyes, rip the top shell off, flip over and remove bottom flap, crack in half and clean out the lungs and such. This gives you legs + wing meat and fit much better in smaller boiling pots.

This is the best way
Extra work but much cleaner

People don’t like to clean cooked shelled crabs

[Mike]

Just curious but has no one had the old school BBQ crabs (deep fried) the way Sartin's and Channel Inn, located in Sabine Pass made famous? They called them BBQ but they were actually cleaned, seasoned and then fried to perfection and eaten as an all you can eat platter service setup. They used Sexton Alamo Zestful Seasoning on them and it was fantastic. This thread sure made me hungry for some.

Here is a quick link, https://www.bluecrab.info/bbqcrabs.html

[b.latiolais]

My family prefers them cleaned prior to boiling. I like them whole personally.

But our favorite is fried in Zestful Seasoning. Anyone from our area that has ever had Sarten's BBQ crabs can attest to how good these are.

But, I never fry the pinchers. I will remove them and always boil the pinchers even if i fry the crabs.