The Dungeness crab topic

[origamicrane]

hi all this question is for the times when you only have frozen crab available.

naturally we would all want to use fresh live crabs in our cooking.

but have any of you had good results from using frozen crabs?

if so please let us know how

everytime i use frozen crab i seem to get watery flesh thats stuck onto the shell

i know its frozen and it will never be as good as the fresh stuff

but is there a way of maximising the quality of frozen crab?

quick thaw? slow thaw? low simmer? high heat?

cheers

[Hest88]

If I had to kill crab or lobster myself I'd never eat it. Instead, I had my parents teach my husband!

They also pry the shell off then whack the crab into pieces with a butcher knife.

[hzrt8w]

hi all this question is for the times when you only have frozen crab available.

.....

but is there a way of maximising the quality of frozen crab?

quick thaw? slow thaw? low simmer? high heat?

←

Is the frozen crab cooked or still raw? I don't think I had ever seen a raw frozen crab before.

If it is already cooked, then no matter how you cook it, the meat would be cooked twice and therefore the taste would be far from ideal.

If it is raw, then I would definitely try to thaw it slowly. E.g. take it out of the freezer and leave in room temperature for 8-10 hours. Crab meat cooks very quickly. If you go for quick thaw, inevitably you would be cooking the meat as well.

Again, like most seafood, crab meat cooks very quickly. Most crab recipes call for cooking with high heat (steaming or boiling or stir-fry). If you simmer, seafood tends to turn tough.

Edited September 28, 2004 by hzrt8w (log)

[origamicrane]

thanks hzrt8w will give that a try and see if there any difference.

To answer a previous few questions at the cooking school i went to they said the most humane way of killing of crabs was to stick a skewer into the base of the apron of the crab and straight in between its eyes as it goes direct to the crabs nervous system.

But i remeber having a chat with a biology teacher about the lobster's nervous system and that they believe lobster don't really feel pain, they tested this by

ripping off one of its claws and then feeding it. It was happily eating away with its remaining claw ie: this is not the behaviour of an animal in extreme pain

something i learned was that if you keep live crab or lobster too cold it will have a violent reaction and it will pop off some of its claws and legs!!??

and as soon as lobster and crabs die the naturally bacteris in their guts start to breakdown hence they should be eaten as fresh as possible.

Edited September 28, 2004 by origamicrane (log)

[hzrt8w]

Over at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, I always see the restaurants boil their Dungeness crabs in a big pot until cooked, then cut up the crabs, cool them down and sell them as crab cocktails.

Here's what I am thinking: They don't cut and clean the crabs (to remove the gill and internal organs) before cooking. I heard that crab gills are toxic. If you eat it, you will get really sick. If they boil the crabs with gills and everything, wouldn't the broth (water) be bad? That broth, perhaps just a minute amount, would go in to the crab claws/legs they sell you. Wouldn't that be bad?

[Dejah]

Here's what I am thinking:  They don't cut and clean the crabs (to remove the gill and internal organs) before cooking.  I heard that crab gills are toxic.  If you eat it, you will get really sick.  If they boil the crabs with gills and everything, wouldn't the broth (water) be bad?  That broth, perhaps just a minute amount, would go in to the crab claws/legs they sell you.  Wouldn't that be bad?

←

We've eaten boiled crab at Santa Barbara, on the pier, and didn't get sick at all. It was one of those booths where you pick your crab, they'd boil it and charge you exorbitant prices. They gave us bibs, a hammer and lots of towels.

As for frozen raw crabs, that was the only way we could get crab at the Chinese supermarket until fish tanks became popular. I used to thaw them in the fridge, then after I chop them up, I'd place them in a colander to drain for a little while. When I cook them, usually in ginger and green onions, I'd make sure the wok was really hot and cook a few pieces at a time so the wok doesn't cool down. I think high heat is the way to avoid watery flesh.

[ned]

I just returned to Seattle from a wonderful three day fishing trip in Prince Rupert on west coast of Canada. The cooler is full of fish including ling cod, white salmon, red snapper, rock cod and halibut. Also, to my surprise, on the way into the harbor the guide pulled up two crab traps from which he pulled 14 dungeness crabs. As a Seattle native who now lives in NYC, I'm embarassed to admit that I've never cleaned a crab other than a soft shell from the east. So here I am soliciting any and all advice on the cleaning, storage and preparation of these fabulous crabs. We managed to get them back to Seattle alive but they're on their last legs.

Thanks in advance for whatever words of wisdom you have.

[mtigges]

The ling cod fishery is supposed to be closed from October to May. I'm pretty sure that this is inclusive of May. IMO both it and Rock Cod should be permenantly closed.

Steam them (or boil doesn't matter), take them out, grab all the legs on both sides, force them together under the crab. Everything comes apart, it's quite messy too. Then rip the claws off. Discard the rest. Though others value some of the innards, they are where the bad stuff lives.

Mark.

[ned]

The ling cod fishery is supposed to be closed from October to May.  I'm pretty sure that this is inclusive of May.  IMO both it and Rock Cod should be permenantly closed.

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The closure is news to me and also to the Canadian Fisheries guys that boarded our boat and checked my license and our catch.

In re the crabs-- so there's no need to rip any guts or faces off before steaming or boiling?

Thanks.

[Della]

you put them in the boiling water still alive - and then when they are cooked- and i am not 100% sure how long to cook them, you have to crack open the belly part and take out the guts. - it is sorta gross but the crabs will be yummy!

[Dignan]

I believe the season opened May 1, 2006.

[Badiane]

You don't need to declaw them or gut them prior to cooking unless you want to. I like to tho. Just makes it a little cleaner at the eating end.

To gut them, flip them over and find the little flap at the ass end. Pull that up and stick your finger under the shell and rip it off. Pull off the spongy gills and whatnot, then rinse them off. Wack the body in half if you want to. There's lots of meat in the body part as well as the legs. Don't crack the legs until they are cooked tho. Steam for about 8-10 minutes or depending on size.

Lingcod fishing is restricted in some areas (like Georgia Strait) from October to June...but not in the area you were. Canadian Fisheries would have stopped you had that been the case, believe me.

[ned]

To gut them, flip them over and find the little flap at the ass end.  Pull that up and stick your finger under the shell and rip it off.  Pull off the spongy gills and whatnot, then rinse them off.  Wack the body in half if you want to.  There's lots of meat in the body part as well as the legs.  Don't crack the legs until they are cooked tho.  Steam for about 8-10 minutes or depending on size. 

←

That's great advice. Thanks. And thanks for getting my back on the fisheries. Wouldn't want to get caught catching a fish that had oughtta be left swimming out there.

What do you say about three white Springs? Great luck huh? It was all the salmon we caught over three days.

[ned]

Crabs are cooked and cleaned and I've got a bowl of white stuff that looks and acts like custard. Comments about what best to do with it?

[ned]

Bueller?!

Once more on that white stuff. It was on inside the shell, white, custardy. I'm thinking egg whites, albumen, coagulated crab blood? I put it in a bowl and had most of the guts separated but there was the odd bit of green. Over time that green turned blue-- not so appetizing. I skimmed the blue bits with a spoon but more appeared a half an hour later.

What to do with this stuff?

Thanks!

[bottom-dragger]

pick out a mean one, they taste the best. or if they pinch the shit out of you, you feel better about eating them.

clean before cooking. i'll let you find your preferred method of dispatching them....pull out the gill and the gooey stuff. still lots of meat in the body where the legs intersect. and there shouldn't be any roe, it's freakin' illegal to take female dungeness (at least in ak).

steam, only steam. 13 minutes. you're not making crab stew so why boil away the flavors. there will be a significant taste improvement by steaming and not boiling.

dip if you must dip, but if you need to cover up the flavor............ eat a hotdog.

oh yeah, the part about the shells and guts smelling in one day. believe it.

[russ parsons]

Bueller?!

Once more on that white stuff.  It was on inside the shell, white, custardy.  I'm thinking egg whites, albumen, coagulated crab blood?  I put it in a bowl and had most of the guts separated but there was the odd bit of green.  Over time that green turned blue-- not so appetizing.  I skimmed the blue bits with a spoon but more appeared a half an hour later. 

What to do with this stuff?

Thanks!

←

that's all good stuff, though i'm sure someone will correctly point out that it contains a substance called domoic acid which is bad for you if you eat too much. i have never been in a position where i could make a diet of dungeness crab, so i don't worry about that too much.

i use both the white custardy stuff (body fat) and the green stuff (tomalley). they have a very strong crab flavor. the easiest way to use them is to mix them with mayonnaise, minced tarragon and a little bit of tarragon vinegar, sieve this through a strainer to remove any tough bits, then spread it on sliced baguettes. run this under the broiler and it will puff slightly and brown. delicious.

[ned]

Bueller?!

Once more on that white stuff.  It was on inside the shell, white, custardy.  I'm thinking egg whites, albumen, coagulated crab blood?  I put it in a bowl and had most of the guts separated but there was the odd bit of green.  Over time that green turned blue-- not so appetizing.  I skimmed the blue bits with a spoon but more appeared a half an hour later. 

What to do with this stuff?

Thanks!

←

that's all good stuff, though i'm sure someone will correctly point out that it contains a substance called domoic acid which is bad for you if you eat too much. i have never been in a position where i could make a diet of dungeness crab, so i don't worry about that too much.

i use both the white custardy stuff (body fat) and the green stuff (tomalley). they have a very strong crab flavor. the easiest way to use them is to mix them with mayonnaise, minced tarragon and a little bit of tarragon vinegar, sieve this through a strainer to remove any tough bits, then spread it on sliced baguettes. run this under the broiler and it will puff slightly and brown. delicious.

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Thank you sir. Next time that's what we'll do. Gives me a ton of ideas already.

[dvs]

i'm picking up 4 live crabs on 12/31... would love to do 2 one way & 2 another...

questions is, which ways??

[Domestic Goddess]

Singapore Chili Garlic Crab and Crab Curry!

[MarkIsCooking]

i'm picking up 4 live crabs on 12/31... would love to do 2 one way & 2 another...

questions is, which ways??

←

DVS -

I've got a perfect option. Just saw this show on TV and they looked great. Trying the soup today. Let me know if you try them out.

Here's the link: Food 911 Crab Show recipes

-Mark-

[dansch]

Oh, if only we could get fresh Dungeness crabs out here in Virginia...

My personal preference, is simply steamed. Last time I was in the pacific northwest (specifically: Fort Bragg, CA) I was on a mission to find steamed dungeness crabs. Every seafood place I stopped by was either closed, rented out to a party, or only served crab gussied up with cream sauces and the like. I just wanted a fresh, hot, crab on a plate.

Finally I pulled over in a parking lot and asked a stranger where I could get good dungeness crab. He started rattling off the names of all of the restaurants I had already stopped by - I explained what I really wanted and he told me to go to a specific grocery store and walk to the seafood counter in the back. While walking in to the grocery store, I noticed the big gleaming stainless steamer sitting outside, still warm... definitely a good sign.

We (my ever-patient better half, Rebecca) walked to the seafood counter and asked for 2 crabs. Still warm from being steamed, the fish monger pulled a couple big (1lb+) ones from the pile, weighed them, cleaned them out for us, wrapped them in butcher paper and we were on our way. We grabbed a stick of butter and headed back to our hotel. I warmed up the butter in the coffee maker (my McGyver moment of the night) and we sat on the floor eating crab meat until we could down no more.

Definitely one of my fondest food memories.

The really amazing part: the crab was only $3.50/lb. At that price, I'd eat crab once a day, every day, for the rest of my life.

-Dan

[Hest88]

Steamed with butter for two; stir-fried with ginger and scallions for the other. (Well, that would be my choice, least!)

[russ parsons]

if it's good crab, even butter is a sacrilege. boil it in heavily salted water (put crabs in pot, fill with cold water, bring to boil, cook until done--the meat will be firm when you pull out one of the back legs). if you've got leftovers, do this:

Dungeness crab puffs

Servings: About 4 dozen 1-inch puffs

Note: This dough is my standard savory pate a choux, which I learned from Madeleine Kamman.

Pastry dough

1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) butter, diced

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pinch sugar

Pinch white pepper

1/2 cup sifted flour

3 eggs, lightly beaten

Butter

1. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small saucepan, bring one-half cup water, butter, salt, sugar and white pepper to a boil, and simmer until the butter is completely melted and the mixture looks milky, about 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and all at once dump in the flour. Stir until a rather firm ball forms.

3. Dry the dough by returning the pan to medium-low heat and cook the dough, stirring constantly, flattening the ball to expose as much of the surface as possible to the heat. Cook until you see little bubbles of butter oozing from the paste and a sandy film of paste appears on the bottom of the pan, 5 or 6 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and beat in the eggs, about a third at a time, stirring briskly to incorporate the egg into the dough as quickly and thoroughly as possible before adding another portion of egg. Stir vigorously. At first, the mixture will loosen and separate, but as you continue beating, it will come back together, thicken and become shiny and sticky.

5. Butter a cookie sheet generously and rinse it under cold water. (The water will evaporate while the puffs bake and prevent the bottoms from scorching.) Fit a plain nozzle into a pastry bag and fill the bag with the dough. Pipe balls about 1 inch in diameter onto the cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches in between for expansion during cooking. You can also use two spoons to scoop out the dough and form it into balls.

6. Bake the puffs until they are dry and brown, about 30 minutes. Use a paring knife to cut a slit in each puff, then return them to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes to finish browning and drying. Do not let them scorch.

7. Remove the puffs to a wire rack and let them cool. The puffs can be prepared 8 hours in advance and stored on the wire rack at room temperature.

Dungeness crab salad

6 radishes

1/2 pound Dungeness crab meat

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon snipped chives

1 1/2 teaspoons minced

tarragon

1/2 teaspoon tarragon vinegar

Salt

1. Cut the radishes in half and then cut them crosswise in moderately thin slices. They should be thick enough that they crunch, but not so thick they dominate the crab. Combine the sliced radishes, crab, mayonnaise, chives, tarragon and vinegar in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Taste and add salt if necessary. You should have about 2 cups of salad. (The recipe can be made to this point and refrigerated, tightly covered, up to 8 hours in advance.)

2. Slice the top third off of each cream puff shell using a serrated knife. Pull out any moist dough from the center and discard (the better you dry the dough after you've added the flour, the less you'll have to throw away).

3. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of crab salad into the center of each shell and replace the lid. It should sit jauntily on top. Serve within an hour.

[Sararwelch]

I recently had a few dungeness crabs. The first night we ate them steamed with butter. I used the crab shells and some shrimp shells to make stock, and the second night made a red seafood chowder with crab, shrimp, scallops, orange roughy, vegetables and potatoes.