Classic Cracked Crab Recipe
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 x live Dungeness crabs - (2 to 2 1/2 lbs ea)
- 12 quart water Deviled Garlic Butter (see recipe)
Directions
- Pour about 12 qts water into a 16- to 20-qt pan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, about 45 min. Grasp each crab from the back, between the legs, and plunge it headfirst into water. Use tongs to immerse crabs completely. Cover pan, reduce heat, and simmer 15 min.
- Drain crabs and let stand till cold sufficient to handle, about 15 min.
- To clean and crack each crab, pull off the triangular flap from the belly side. Pull body away from back shell. Pour juices from back into a bowl; also scoop the soft white crab fat and yellow butter from shell into bowl. Throw away stomach sack.
- Pull off and throw away red membrane and soft gills from body, and scoop yellow crab butter into bowl. Pull off bony mouth paddles and add in to shells. Separately cover and refrigeratecrab butter mix and all shells.
- Rinse crab bodies under cold running water. With a nutcracker or possibly mallet, crack the shell of each leg and claw section, hitting on the narrow edges. With a knife, cut bodies into quarters.
- Serve crabs hot or possibly cold, plain or possibly with Deviled Garlic Butter for dipping. Use the leg tips to extract meat from shells. Save shells for "Crab Broth" (see recipe); cover and chill.
- This recipe yields 4 servings.
- Comments: Buy live crabs on the day you'll be cooking them, and keep in the refrigerator, loosely wrapped, till ready to add in to boiling water. If you do not have a pan large sufficient, cook crabs in sequence. If any crab meat remains after the first meal, reserve for "Asian Asparagus And Crab Soup" (see recipe).
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