Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Crabs: Boiled or Steamed?

Gents,
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<br>Over in the 'Photography' section, Spike posted a nice picture of some Dungeness Crabs (I think they were Dungies?) boiling in a pot.
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<br>The question was brought up over there, but I thought I'd ask here, where all the expert eaters hang out...
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<br>Should the crabs be boiled (actually in the water) or just steamed by the boiling water below?
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<br>It goes without saying, that salt-water is the way to go, and of course Old Bay is the seasoning of choice in these parts.
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<br>Here's a picture of one pot I pulled today.
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<br>There were about four 'keepers' and the rest were females.

BOILED in HIGHLY seasoned water, then allowed to "soak" in that water awhile to get all that good seasoning into ever nook, knukle, and joint. WE don't get live Dungies here at all but we sure do get some big blue crabs. Had some this past Friday and the Friday before, expect to have some again this coming Friday. Since I was born and raised in South Louisiana boiled is all I ever had. I have had the steamed with Old Bay sprinkled over the crab shell more than a few times. That is OK but not like a cajun seafood boil. Old ways die hard.

BW-
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<br>Nice haul. Watcha using for bait? I don't see anything.
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<br>I've never steamed Dungies before, never even heard of it being done that way...I'm willing to try though.
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<br>About the Old Bay question...is there anything else? eeemmmm!
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<br>Another trick is using ocean water, not just salted down tap, that's no good. Let them soak after boiling until they're cool enough to handle. Like the other poster said, get the meat all good and flavored.

Spike,
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<br>I had about 3 herring stuck in the zip lock bag that's clipped to the top (inside.) They only lasted the one overnight soaking.
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<br>The early herring spawn in March is the main source for bait fish all year long. Salmon heads are another good choice for bait. Halibut heads too. I've got some commercial stuff, that is timed released over a few days. It looks like dried dog food. Anyhow, I've had poor luck with it, but according to the experts, I need to poke more holes in the plastic jars that the stuff is held in.
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<br>Sounds like a good project for tonight, when things slow down at work. (It's tough when all the 'bosses' are away. )
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<br>When I said "salt-water", I did mean water from the ocean. Just got to get it from the opposite side of the boat you pee from.
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<br>Anyhow, I set four pots that day. I've got 3 more pot's, but need to get them all rigged up with floats and such.
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<br>Tried to pull my halibut skate that day, but the chop on the outside was just too rough. I had the floats onboard, but after trying to get thrown over a couple times, I gave up.
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<br>Maybe we should start some signature lines like...
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<br>"I use Old Bay too"
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<br>or...
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<br>"Ketchup, who turned out the lights?"
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<br>Sort of like those Match King and anti-Leupold sigs
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Okay, I'll only do this for you cuz you're Khamaina (sp?) (local) and a fellow lefty.
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<br>Once you try it you'll never use anything else. The bad part is it's expensive...the good part, it last for more than one outing.
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<br>Beef tongue.
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<br>I promise you, you'll be amazed.

We really do try and stick to free stuff for bait, like the herring and salmon heads. A trip to the local seafood cannery with two five gallon buckets will net a bunch of salmon heads for free. That's only during the commercial salmon fishing season of course.
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<br>Mahalo...
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BOILED, BOILED, BOILED...there can only be one way and that is boiled...unless of course you steam em.
<br>Hot crab and cold beer food for the gods...and the rest of us lefties.
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<br>Beef tung for crab bait? who woulda thunk it. I like my beef tung boiled sliced thin smothered in horse raddish.
<br>might be hard to use for bait. Gotta go see if Safeway has some tung.
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<br>Bullwnkl.

The best bait I'v used was tuna heads and carcasses,course you can only get them while the bites on also.
<br>Jeff

Only recipe I know for crabs involves Blue Star ointment but that may be a different type of crab. Beef tongue is best pickled and eaten with mustard. Love it.
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<br>BCR

Boiled for sure- my son loves to listen for the little screams as we lower the crabs into the boiling water.
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<br>I've seen John's beef tongue work when nothing else seemed to be producing. In fact, we threw everything that was in his freezer in those crab pots that day and the winner by a large margin was the beef tongue- though I thought sure those old freezer burned bear sausages would be the best. Guess we should have added a little mustard? - Sheister

Here's the Sitka version of 'beef tongue' ...
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<br>As I mentioned above, these 'heads' were free from the local seafood proccessing plant. Went and got them today, as we're going camping up north again this weekend. I plan on working the pot's fairly hard.
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<br>Now I got to bag them up in ziplock bags, and throw them in the freezer.

Brian-
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<br>Gee, what big eyes you have.
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<br>I think your FREE fish heads will work just fine. What time is dinner this weekend? I'll bring the butter and garlic. Are you going to try the steaming method? I'm curious what you think. If you get a wild hair splurg on a tongue and see what you think.
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<br>Sheister-
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<br>At least someone believes me.

BOILED anybody that would boil a crab should be rounded up and shot! Steam them. If you boil them they get too much water inside and it ruins the taste. I was born and raised on the Chesapeake bay and we know crabs, and I dont just mean from the friendly girls of Baltimore. Add one can of flat beer to the steam pot and you are on your way. I am used to blue crabs, why is that crab in the photo red? Chesapeake bay blue crabs turn red after cooking but are as green as grass when you catch them. If you would like a recipe or two just send me a pm. Ohhh and also check out www.crabplace.com I think that is the URL.

Ohh and another good bait is chicken necks. Beef tongue is better, but chicken necks work very well. They will last a few days and crabs dont care if they start to get stinky. IN my experience, baits in order would be tongue, chicken necks, then any dead fish. It is also good fun to let kids catch crabs with handlines and a chicken neck. They love trying to net the crabs. Its a real talent and tricky at times how wary and old blue crab can be.
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<br>Does anybody eat those Dungenis(SP) crabs when they are soft? We eat soft crab sandwiches and a Dungy would be a softcrab sub!

NY Savage, soft shell crab is verboten. The fine is a bit high if you retain soft shells or crab out of season (when the crabs are molting). I like my crab boiled, never even tried steamed, so I know not of what I speak, Boiled crab is just messy enough to be real good, like when you were a kid, an icecream cone had to melt and drip all over you and the upholstry of the ole mans car, doggone good icecream for the yellen at you were about to get.
<br>The more hot crab you eat and the more cold beer you drink the better it gets.
<br>How do you steam a crab?
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<br>Bullwnkl.

Bullwnkl,
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<br>I'm must admit I've been surprised by the number of 'boiled' votes!
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<br>I steam them in the normal crab cooker (deep pot, usually aluminum or stainless) over a propane burner.
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<br>There are these inserts you put in the bottom of the pot, which look just like grills with legs, that hold the crab up out of the water. When the waters boiling, I know that the lower crab get boiled, as well as steamed. It's also possible to just throw some largish rocks in the bottom, to keep the crab out of the water.
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<br>I've got know clue about soft-shell crabs. Here's a close up of a Dungie in the classic "I'm about to die" position...
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<br>In this picture, my friend has just split one in half using the rim of the 5 gallon bucket...
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<br>After their split in half, just rip off the rest of the shell/mouth stuff, fling out the gooey guts, pull off the lung things, and their ready for the pot.
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<br>Here's a pot on the left...
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'Scuse my ignorance guys but what is the difference between King Crabs, Snow crabs and Dunginess crabs besides them being different kinds of crabs. I guess they are different or are they just different names for the same thing? All I know are blue crabs and I am far enough inland so really fresh ones are a treat. I boil them because that is all I know how to do besides use the meat in different ways.
<br>The so called seafood places around here use snow crab legs and I have to confess they are not so hot. Not bad exactly but nothing to write home about either. Maybe they just don't know how to cook them
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<br>BCR

Dubya, you crack your crabs before steaming/boiling? I've always heard the best way was to cook them whole and alive. Never seem to have a problem doing it that way and they crack and clean just fine afterwards.
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<br>Boggy,
<br>King crabs are found mostly in the Northern Pacific, though I have seen a few in Puget Sound and thereabouts. They are big, tasty, (much larger than Dungennes or Snow crabs) and have lots of meat but I prefer the Dungennes crabs of our area. The meat is more tasty IMHO and they are plentiful during the seasons. Snow crabs aren't usually found in this area, but we do have a number of other types of crabs, including some types of Blue crabs, which are fairly small here and no limit on catch. Never cared for their flavor though.
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<br>Don't know a heck of a lot about Snow crabs except for the few I've eaten didn't have a whole lot of taste. Might have something to do with how they were prepared.- Sheister
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Traditional blue crab steaming is that you put as many as you have whole in a big pot on a grate with water white vinegar one can of stale beer and secret stuff that I wont mention just yet. THen you put it on the stove covered until the blue crabs turn red. THey have been covered liberally with the seasoning of your choice (old bay, wye river, rock salt and pepper mix what have you). They take the crabs out when they are red and have at em.
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<br>Soft shells are simple. Wait till they sluff the shell, put a knife under the apron and cut out the lungs then dip them in batter and deep fry them. Put them on a sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes and mayo and it is nice. Serve them with some good fried green tomatoe fritters and you are living like a king. Rcipes available on request, just PM me.

I boiled my Dungeness crabs for years until one time I was hunting a cougar on an Indian Reserve on a Johnston Strait island. Natives cooked up a big crab feed when I got the cougar. They smacked the crabs on the carapace (sp??) with a bonker to fracture it and pulled the top shell off. Then broke them in half and cleaned residual guts and gills off. They carefully placed the halves in a pot legs down, body up, on top of several inches of kelp. Also used kelp to keep them all supported just so. Put a inch or two of salt water in the pot and then onto the fire to steam with a tight lid on. They claimed boiling cooked the flavor out of them and they tasted so good I started cooking them that way too. I sometimes throw a big handful of Cajun style spice in the pot . Also very good steamed in layers of kelp on the coals and hot rocks in a big fire pit- no pot required.
<br>On the other hand I'll eat Dungeness and rock crabs any way I can get them. Have never thought snow or king crab to be their equal but that may be because I've never had those before they've been frozen.
<br>Seems to me the Campfire boys spend a lot of time thinking about their stomach and how to make it happy. I call that establishing good priorities. besto